I.    RURAL    HOMES; 


OR 


SKETCHES    OF    HOUSES 


SUITED    TO 


AMEEICAN    COUNTEY   LIFE 


WITH 


ORIGINAL    PLANS,    DESIGNS,    &c. 


BY 


GERVASE   WHEELER, 
\\ 


NEW   YORK: 

CHARLES  SCRIBXER,  145  NASSAU  STREET. 
1852. 


AM 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  tht»  year  1851,  by 

CHARLES    SCEIBNEK, 

Ir  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New  York. 


C.    W.    BENEDICT, 
BTEREOTYPER    AND    PRINTKB, 
201  William  Street. 


PEEFACE. 


To  THE  READER — 

IN  the  pages  I  respectfully  offer  for  perusal,  I  would  have 
you  look  for  no  very  new  or  critical  remarks,  or  learned  and 
technical  disquisitions.  Of  course  it  may  be  presumed  that, 
in  studying  the  profession  of  an  architect,  I  have,  to  the  extent 
of  my  ability,  mastered  the  elementary  rudiments,  technicalities, 
and  theories  of  the  science;  and,  although  I  might  show 
learning  in  discoursing  of  the  nice  distinctions  between  this  and 
that  school  of  ancient  art,  and  quote  Latin  and  Greek  in  support 
of  my  own  peculiar  tenets,  I  should  very  little  interest  you, 
and  do  nothing  towards  supplying  your  want  of  a  plan  for  your 
house. 

I  therefore  modestly  present  a  few  notes  of  things  that  in 
the  course  of  a  varied  architectural  practice  have  come  before 
me,  and  which  have  left  certain  conclusions  impressed  upon  my 
mind.  In  this,  I  claim  no  title  to  originality ;  others,  long  ere 
now,  have  written  useful  and  learned  books  about  houses,  and 


_84599 


PREFACE. 

how  to  build  them ;  this,  however,  I  do  claim — an  intention 
of  directing  the  thoughts  of  all  interested  in  country-life, 
to  the  embodiment  of  a  fixed  principle  in  rural  architec 
ture. 

Heretofore,  too  generally,  country  houses  have  either  been 
on  a  stereotyped  plan,  or  have  shown  an  unmeaning  whim 
sicality  :  the  true  way  is,  to  make  the  building  exactly  what 
its  parts,  uses,  material,  and  extent  require — ornamental  or 
plain  as  you  will — but  every  portion  suggestive  of  a  meaning 
and  a  use. 

Perhaps  this  is  more  easy  to  direct  than  to  do ;  the  designs 
presently  following  will  best  show  how  far  in  my  case  the 
attempt  has  been  successful.  I  can  only  urge  that  they  have  at 
least  the  merit  of  study ;  and  every  plan — the  practical  value 
of  either  having  been  tested  by  erection,  or  of  having  been 
reduced  from  drawings  as  elaborately  drawn  out  as  if  for  actual 
use  by  some  cautious  and  very  particular  builder. 

The  contents  of  the  book  itself  will  be  found  to  be  but  short, 
simple,  and  comprehensive  directions  to  all  desirous  of  building 
— embracing  every  variety  of  home  usually  needed.  It  com 
mences  with  the  first  foot  tread  upon  the  spot  chosen  for  the 
house  ;  details  the  considerations  that  should  weigh  in  selecting 
the  site — gives  models  of  buildings,  differing  in  character,  extent, 
and  cost,  and  suited  to  particular  localities,  and  to  circumstances, 
fully  enlarged  upon — shows  how  to  harmonize  the  building  with 
it  surrounding  scenery,  and  to  reconcile  economical  expediture 


PREFACE. 

with  truest  refinement  of  taste — teaches  how  healthfully  to 
warm  and  ventilate — assists  in  selecting  furniture,  and  the 
Innumerable  articles  of  utility  and  ornament  used  in  constructing 
and  finishing — with  remarks  upon  the  adjuncts  to  a  house — its 
entrance  lodge,  and  its  numerous  out-buildings.  It  concludes 
with  final  practical  directions  to  building  amateurs,  giving  a 
few  useful  hints  as  to  drawing  up  written  descriptions,  specifica 
tions,  and  contracts. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  say  that,  in  the  hope  of  infusing 
something  of  its  spirit  therein,  I  have  mentally  headed  every 
page  with  a  sentence  suggested  as  a  matin  and  even  song  to 
every  architect  and  amateur — Mr.  Ruskin's  great  maxim,  "  Until 
common  sense  finds  its  way  into  architecture,  there  can  be  but 
little  hope  for  it." 

G.  W. 

NORWICHTOWX,  CT. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAQH 

THE  EXCELLENCIES  OF  A  HOUSE— CHOICE  OF  A  SITE,      .  .       11 


CHAPTER  II. 

OENEEAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF    A  HOUSE  UPON  THE  GROUND- 
DISTRIBUTION  OF  ITS  APARTMENTS, 19 


CHAPTER  III. 

SELECTION    OF    MATERIALS  —  HOW    SUITED    TO    PARTICULAR 
STYLES,   ....  ....  27 


CHAPTER  IV. 

HEALTH    IN    A    HOME;— AS    DEPENDENT    UPON    VENTILATION, 
AND  ON  MEANS  OF  OBTAINING  ARTIFICIAL  HEAT,  43 


nil  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  V. 

PAGE 

HOW    TO    BUILD    TO    SUIT    TUB    LANDSCAPE  — EXAMPLES    OF 
RURAL  HOMES,  .  56 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ACCOMMODATION  SUITED  TO  A  SHORT  SUMMER  RESIDENCE  IN 
THE  COUNTRY— THE  SUMMER  LODGE, 78 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  HOMESTEAD, 91 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  SUBURBAN  VILLA, 109 

CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  PARSONAGE  HOUSE, 125 


CHAPTER  X. 

SOUTHERN  HOMES,  . 


CHAPTER  XL 

COTTAGES,    ...  145 


CONTENTS.  IX 

CHAPTER   XII. 

PAGE 

MEANS  OF   ARTIFICIALLY  WARMING— HOT- WATER  APPARATUS 
—THE  BATHING-ROOM, 1T2 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

SUMMER  FURNITURE— CANE-WORK— ENAMELED  WARE,   .  .      190 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

ADJUNCTS   TO    A    HOUSE— THE    ENTRANCE    LODGE— OUTBUILD- 

218 


CHAPTER  XV. 

PRACTICAL  DIRECTIONS  TO  AMATEURS  BEFORE  PROCEEDING 
TO  BUILD— FORM  FOR  A  SIMPLE  CONTRACT  AND  SPECIFICA 
TION  FOR  THOSE  ACTING  AS  "  THEIR  OWN  ARCHITECT,"  . 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

RURAL  ARCHITECTURE  AS  A  FIXE  ART— ITS  INFLUENCE  ON 
THE  MIND,  HEART,  AND  SOCIAL  VIRTUES-WHAT  AN  AMER 
ICAN  VILLAGE  MIGHT  BE— CONCLUSION,  .  .  .  .263 


RURAL    HOMES. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

THE    EXCELLENCIES    OF    A    HOUSE CHOICE    OF    A    SITE. 

ALL  who  build,  desire  to  build  well ;  if  cheaply,  — still,  to 
the  best  of  their  knowledge  and  ability, — they  desire  to  build 
well. 

Unfortunately,  however,  there  are  very  few  who  understand 
in  what  the  excellencies  of  a  house  consist ;  nor  in  the  effort  to 
construct  a  house,  do  their  ideas  at  the  highest  soar  above  a 
point  somewhat  beyond  what  their  .last  building  neighbor  has 
achieved.  By  the  help  of  monthly  periodical,  or  other  reading, 
they  have  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  better  professional  aid 
can  be  obtained  than  the  skill  of  the  village  carpenter,  and  so 
they  instruct  some  architect  to  prepare  plans;  not,  however, 
until  wearied  in  the  endeavor  to  concoct  such  for  themselves. 
In  directing  him,  their  minds  are  generally  so  obstinately  settled 
upon  some  rudely-digested  but  pet  plan,  that  the  professional 
adviser  is  obliged  to  defer  to  the  opinions  of  his  employer,  and 
patch  up  something  by  way  of  a  compromise  between  what  his 
judgment  would  approve,  and  what  his  client  insists  upon ;  or 


-84599 


12  RURAL    HOMES. 

else  risk  the  withdrawal  of  his  commission — and  this,  as  archi 
tects  must  live,  he  is  not  desirous  to  do. 

At  length,  some  plan  for  the  internal  arrangement  of  the 
house  and  the  character  of  the  exterior  settled  upon,  the  drawings 
and  working  directions  for  the  mechanics  provided,  and  the 
building  is  fairly  commenced.  It  is  then,  and  as  the  structure 
gradually  developes  itself,  the  gentleman  begins  to  wish  he  had 
given  the  subject  closer  attention  before;  for  even  he  can. see 
what  improvements  might  have  been  made,  and  how  much  better 
it  might  all  have  been.  At  this  stage  of  proceedings  he  probably 
blames  his  architect,  forgetting  that  his  own  obstinacy  denied 
his  adviser  a  voice,  when  it  could  have  spoken  to  advan 
tage.  Finally  the  building  is  completed,  to  the  but  cold  satis 
faction  of  its  owner,  who  is  only  glad  to  get  so  much  trouble  off 
his  hands,  and  to  the  relief  of  the  architect,  whose  professional 
pride  (if  he  have  any)  and  personal  feelings  (if  he  can  afford  the 
luxury)  have  been  perpetually  jarred  upon  and  mortified,  from 
the  first  pencil-stroke  upon  paper,  to  the  last  nail  driven  home 
in  the  finished  building. 

Now,  all  this  might  be  changed,  if  the  public  would  them 
selves  seek  information  on  the  principles  that  should  guide  them 
in  the  selection  of  a  plan  upon  which  to  build.  A  man  builds 
generally  for  a  lifetime,  not  to  gratify  the  whim  of  a  moment. 
"  Build  in  haste,  repent  at  leisure,"  is  a  maxim  of  which  many 
ere  this  have  found  the  truth ;  nor  is  the  character  of  a  house  so 
much  a  matter  of  mere  taste  as  many  assert ;  the  planning  of  a 
building  requires  calculation,  science,  experience,  as  I  dare  say 
all  have  found  who  have  endeavored  to  reduce  their  fanciful 
ideas  into  tangible  form  upon  paper.  It  is  not  necessary  every 
one  should  receive  the  education  of  an  architect,  but  it  is  neces- 


CHOICE    OF    A    SITE.  J3 

sary  every  one  should  know  something  of  the  elementary  prin 
ciples  of  the  architect's  noble  art,  not,  it  may  be,  of  its  technicalities, 
or  the  differences,  or  history  of  its  various  styles  and  epochs,  but 
something  of  the  excellencies  he  would  incorporate  in  his  con 
templated  dwelling. 

So  much  by  way  of  introduction.  Now,  dear  readers,  I  will 
plunge  at  once  into  the  subject  that  I  have  to  grapple,  and 
begin  by  drawing  a  distinction  between  houses  and  homes. 

Houses  may  tell  very  well  in  advertisements,  and  speculating 
builders  know  to  make  them  look  sweetly  pretty  upon  paper ; 
but,  dear  friends,  take  care  that  you  thoroughly  satisfy  yourselves 
that  you  can  make  them  homes,  before  you  commit  yourselves 
to  a  choice  you  may  afterwards  repent. 

The  excellencies  of  a  home  may  be  briefly  stated  thus : 

CONVENIENT  ARRANGEMENT. 
FACILITY  OF  CONSTRUCTION  AND  OF  REPAIR. 
PERFECT  PROTECTION  FROM  HEAT  AND  COLD. 
ADEQUATE  MEANS  OF  WARMING  AND  VENTILATING. 
CONGRUITY  WITH  THE  SCENERY  AROUND. 

In  these  may  be  summed  up  all  that  has  to  be  studied  in  the 
contriving  and  the  building  of  a  house.  To  discuss  with  advan 
tage  the  several  points  that  present  themselves  under  each  head, 
I  will  suppose  a  friend  about  to  commence  the  initiatory  steps 
towards  erecting  himself  a  home,  and  so  will  first  say  a  few  words 
about  selection  of  the  site. 

Think  more  than  once,  before  selecting  too  large  a  tract  of 
ground.  Space  is  desirable,  undoubtedly;  but  a  ramble  in 
country  lanes,  and  in  woods  skirting  your  place,  is  as  pleasant 
as  if  in  your  own  grounds,  and  enjoyed  at  a  far  cheaper  rate. 


14  RURAL    HOMES. 

If  you  really,  soberly  understand  farming,  and  wish  to  devote 
your  time  and  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits,  well  and  good ; 
purchase,  then,  just  so  much  land  as  you  feel  you  can  control ; 
or  if  you  have  wealth  enough  to  permit  you  to  play  at  farming, 
and  to  raise  potatoes  at  four  dollars  a  barrel,  when  you  can  send 
to  the  city  and  buy  them  at  three,  and  to  cultivate  other  charming 
crops  at  a  like  scale  of  expense,  get  as  many  broad  acres  as  you 
have  a  mind  to ;  but  for  the  particular  spot  where  you  mean  to 
place  your  house,  choose  as  follows  : 

Rather  prefer  a  quiet,  smiling,  little  nook,  with  a  rolling  sur 
face  of  natural  grassy  slopes,  tenderly  shaded  with  many  trees, 
than  a  rocky,  bare,  quasi-picturesque  territory. 

Notice  particularly  how  you  are  sheltered,  by  hills  around, 
from  the  quarter  whence  cometh  the  wintry  wind,  and  so  prefer 
rather  the  gentle  slope  of  a  long  hill  to  its  summit.  Many  will 
tell  you,  it  is  true,  of  the  "  fine  views"  you  may  enjoy  from 
thence ;  but  distant  prospect  is  monotonous — I  repeat  mono 
tonous,  though,  in  so  saying,  I  hazard  the  infliction  of  the  title 
barbarian.  Saving  some  certainly  beautiful  effects  of  aerial* 
chiaro-scuro,  which  lighten  and  quench  the  gray  of  the  moun 
tain,  the  view  varies  but  little,  however  extensive  may  be  the 
panorama. 

It  is  the  foreground — the  familiar  objects  near  the  eye  that 
are  varying  ever — change  of  leaf,  growth  of  twig  upon  twig — 
budding  and  fading  of  flower — constant  shifting  of  the  margin  of 
the  near  winding  brook,  that  make  a  coup  d^oeil  that  is  never 
monotonous,  for  the  relation  and  the  aspect  of  each  atom  are  per 
petually  varying. 

Apart  from  these  artistic  reasons,  there  are  others  of  very 


THE    SITE.  15 

simple  and  matter-of-fact  character,  that  would  lead  to  the  pre 
ference  I  advise. 

On  the  summit  of  the  hill,  water  is  difficult  to  be  obtained 
without  great  expense ;  on  the  side  it  may  be  found  in  abundance 
On  the  summit,  stone,  and  sand,  and  timber  have  all  to  be  slowly 
and  painfully  hauled  from  below ;  on  the  side,  perhaps,  all  of 
the  materials  may  be  almost  at  hand,  and,  at  any  rate,  are  more 
easily  reached. 

There  are  some  beautiful  places  (I  have  one  now  in  my 
memory),  where,  with  ravine,  and  waterfall,  and  forest  trees,  and 
evergreen  groves,  below  and  on  either  side,  the  most  eligible 
spot  for  the  house  seems  to  be  on  a  large  extent  of  level  table 
land,  that  without  being  on  the  summit  of  a  hill  is  yet  elevated 
above  the  surrounding  surfaces.  In  such  a  case,  carefully  avoid 
so  placing  the  building  as  that  it  appears  to  stand  alone,  unsup 
ported  by  stately  trees  or  rising  hills  in  the  midst.  Nothing  can 
look  more  bare  and  un-home-like  than  an  edifice  so  situated;  if 
there  are  positively  no  trees  near,  and  you  have,  after  careful 
pondering  over  every  foot  of  ground  about  your  place,  been 
forced  to  the  determination  to  build  your  house  on  such  an  open 
space,  all  that  can  be  done  is,  to  surround  your  dwelling  as  much 
as  may  be  with  architectural  shade,  and  to  give  .it  base  upon  the 
ground  by  spreading  its  verandahs,  porch,  and  ombra  widely  on 
either  side,  trusting  to  the  growth  of  the  young  trees  you  have 
liberally  scattered  around,  and  to  the  success  of  your  efforts  at 
removal  and  transplanting  of  larger  trees  from  elsewhere,  to  pro 
vide  a  natural  shade  that  will  relieve  the  bareness  of  the  building 
and  give  its  outlines  connection  with  the  landscape. 

Again,  there  are  often  situations  in  which  you  have  to  climb 
some  craggy  peak  and  perch  your  building  upon  its  very  sjjnmit, 


16  RURAL    HOMES. 

where  it  is  difficult  to  determine  the  character  of  the  parasitical 
house  that  would  be  appropriate,  but  as  this  is  not  a  case  of  fre 
quent  occurrence,  and  as  future  chapters  will  treat  of  this  class 
of  house  in  detail,  I  will  dismiss  its  consideration,  and  return  to 
sites  more  usually  adopted. 

Say,  then,  you  have  selected  a  few  acres  of  land,  prettily 
wooded,  and  on  or  neu.  a  good  country  road,  and  you  have 
stuck  a  peg  into  the  earth  as  the  spot  where  your  house  is  to  be  ; 
you  have  been  moved  by  the  arguments  I  have  used,  and  have 
wisely  determined  to  make  the  summit  of  the  hill  only  a  barrier 
to  guard  you  from  wind  and  cold,  taking  your  place  for  building 
at  an  humbler  elevation — to  which  determination  you  have  been 
perhaps  assisted  in  coming  by  some  one's  applying,  to  those  who 
perch  themselves  on  a  mountain's  peak, 

"  Their  pleasure  greatest  seems,  I  ween, 
In  viewing  landscape — to  be  seen." 

The  stake  that  marks  the  spot  where  your  house  is  destined 
to  stand,  has  been  driven,  of  course,  after  due  deliberation ;  you 
have  probably  had  some  idea  of  about  the  kind  of  house  you 
intend  erecting,  and  have  pictured  to  yourself  how  the  window 
of  your  library  will  peep  upon  yon  pretty  sunny  dell,  and  the 
curl  of  the  stream  you  have  the  good  fortune  to  possess  running 
through  your  place ;  a  stately  tree  is  not  far  off,  and  you  think 
how,  on  a  bright  day,  you  will  step  out  from  your  window  upon 
the  grassy  slope,  and  stretch  yourself  beneath  its  limbs,  and  build 
castles  in  the  air,  no  less  substantial  than  those  we  are  fabricating 
now.  You  cast  your  eye  to  an  opening  in  the  belt  of  trees  that 
skirt  the  side  of  your  grounds  nearest  the  road,  and  you  see  at 
once  how  your  carriage  drive  will  wind  through  there,  and  brin^ 


THE    SITE.  17 

you  to  the  level  flat,  that  you  have  at  once  decided  shall  be 
before  your  door.  You  see  that  there  is  a  plentiful  growth  of 
trees  towards  the  north  and  north-east,  so  plentiful  as  to  allow  of 
your  cutting  its  margin  back  a  little  ;  for,  you  remember  to  have 
been  told,  trees  on  the  north  side  of  the  house  must  not  be  too 
near,  or  they  will  harbor  damp  ;  they  must  be  only  near  enough 
to  screen  the  wind. 

The  same  trees,  too,  will  hide  your  kitchen  offices  and  humbler 
buildings  from  view  in  approaching  the  entrance  front  of  your 
house  ;  and  still  walking  on  and  admiring  the  many  pretty  vistas 
that  open  upon  you  as  you  change  the  point  of  sight,  you 
mentally  resolve  that  in  such  a  room  you  will  have  a  projecting 
window  looking  three  ways,  that  shall  command  views  as  varied 
as  they  are  pleasant. 

You  delight  in  finding  that  the  level  flat  on  which  the  house 
shall  stand,  is  large  enough  to  permit  glorious  verandas  on  the 
west,  and  on  the  south  a  spacious  ombra  or  shade  room  (for  the 
coining  of  which  long  wantedt  word,  I  claim  a  patency),  and  which 
(see  Frontispiece)  open  to  every  breeze  that  blows,  and  roofed 
over  at  the  top,  will  make  you  a  charming  place  for  a  siesta  in 
the  afternoon,  when  the  summer  sun  is  looking  a  little  too 
curiously  upon  the  exposed  sides  of  your  dwelling. 

Of  course  you  have  noticed  that  the  spot  is  abundantly  sup 
plied  with  good  water.  Perhaps  you  have  found  some  plentiful 
spring  in  the  hill-side  above  you,  the  superior  level  of  which  will 
permit  the  luxury  of  water  earned  to  every  part  of  your  house, 
bed-rooms,  bathing-rooms,  etc.,  and  that,  too,  clear,  fresh,  spring 
water,  and  not  stagnant  roof-wash  in  a  cistern ;  or  some  engineer 
ing  friend  has  shown  you  how,  from  your  never-failing  brook 
below,  a  hydraulic  ram  will,  at  an  expense  of  a  hundred  and 


18  RURAL    HOMES. 

twenty  dollars,  convey  its  liquid  treasures  up  to  your  door,  and 
into  all  your  rooms ;  and  you^think  of  the  pleasant  splashing  of 
a  little  fountain  in  your  plant  cabinet  or  ombra,  until  you  can 
almost  hear  the  tinkle  of  the  drops  as  they  patter  in  the  vase 
brimming  over  with  its  sparkling  contents. 

You  are  not  going  to  "  lay  out  your  grounds,"  as  it  is  called 
— at  least,  not  yet ;  you  think  nature  has  done  very  well  so  far, 
and  that  all  you  will  venture  upon  at  present  is  to  assist  her ; 
arid  so  you  devise  how  a  parterre  there,  and  a  clump  of  shrubs 
here,  and  a  little  cleaning  of  the  ground  generally,  and  a  week's 
labor  in  clearing  out  the  too  luxuriant  growth  of  under-brush  in 
your  woods,  will  do  all  you  care  to  do  at  present.  So  ah1  you 
undertake  just  yet,  by  way  of  preparation,  is  to  mark  out  the  line 
for  your  carriage  drive,  and  to  have  the  stones  you  collect  off 
your  grounds  thrown  thereon,  and  to  have  the  earth  turned  up 
and  well  dressed,  that  you  destine  for  your  flower-garden  and 
lawn — meaning,  after  the  latter  is  made,  to  let  a  few  sheep  be 
your  gardeners,  knowing  that  the  -expense  of  an  invisible  wire 
fence  will  be  far  less  than  the  maintenance  of  a  man  to  mow  and 
keep  in  order,  and  that  your  sheep  will  pay  for  themselves. 

The  fruit  and  vegetable  garden,  with  a  small,  sheltered  patch 
for  herbs,  you  place  near  the  kitchen  and  servants'  offices,  and 
are  not  very  anxious  they  should  be  in  sight ;  for,  horticulturize 
it  as  you  will,  a  row  of  bare  bean-poles  is  not  a  very  sightly  object 
from  a  window. 

You  have  now  turned  over  all  these  things  in  your  mind,  and 
are  ready  to  hear  something  more  about  the  house ;  so  at  this 
point  I  will  close  this  chapter,  for.  I  can  scarcely  go  further  in  my 
capacity  of  architect,  or  I  shall  have  the  landscape  gardener  step 
in  and  say  I  am  trenching  on  his  ground. 


CHAPTER  II. 

GENERAL    ARRANGEMENT    OF  A  HOUSE    UPON    THE    GROUND 

DISTRIBUTION    OF    ITS    APARTMENTS. 

THE  planning  of  a  house  comprises,  not  only  the  arrangement 
of  its  rooms  and  offices,  but  the  occupation  also  of  the  ground 
upon  which  it  is  to  stand.  Hence,  a  plan  may  be  very  well 
arranged  in  itself,  so  far  as  the  convenience  of  rooms,  passages, 
stairways,  and  domestic  accommodations  is  concerned,  and  yet 
be  ill  adapted  for  erection  upon  a  particular  spot. 

Thus,  many  books  that  give  illustrated  descriptions  of  villas 
and  cottages  sadly  fail,  when  a  reader  endeavors  to  practically 
carry  out  any  one  of  the  designs  they  contain.  He  finds,  how 
ever  suitable  it  may  appear  at  first  sight,  yet,  when  his  ground 
comes  to  be  fairly  mapped  before  him,  and  he  pencils  his  plan 
thereon ;  or,  when  better  still,  he  goes  upon  the  ground  itself 
and  pins  out  the  outlines  of  his  house,  he  generally  has  to  aban 
don  and  change  so  much  of  the  design  in  the  book,  as  to  involve 
the  trouble  of  beginning  almost  de  novo,  as,  in  fact,  it  would 
prove  ultimately  more  satisfactory  if  he  did. 

The  desio-ns  that  illustrate  this  book  are  not  offered  for  actual 

O 

embodiment  and  execution.     They  are  merely  given  as  models 


20  RURAL    HOMES. 

of  what,  under  certain  circumstances  explained  in  detail,  would 
afford  good  studies  for  those  about  building.  So  far  only  as  the 
exigencies  of  the  case  in  point  are  met  by  the  examples  herein 
contained  would  I  counsel  their  adoption — no  farther.  There 
probably  will  be  many  hints  and  fragments  of  detail  that  can 
profitably  be  employed  by  those  who  may  be  about  to  construct 
a  home ;  but  I  do  not  desire  any  of  the  plans  to  be  considered 
as  patent  medicines  suited  to  every  disorder. 

It  is  scarcely  possible  to  do  justice  in  designing  a  house,  with 
out  study  upon  the  spot  where  it  is  to  stand.  A  carefully  pre 
pared  map  even,  is  not  sufficient,  so  many  considerations  affecting 
the  composition  of  a  plan,  which  it  is  impossible  a  map  should 
fully  present. 

Not  merely  the  style  and  general  character  of  a  house  are  in 
fluenced  by  the  contour  and  aspect  of  features  in  the  landscape 
around,  but  its  outlines  on  the  ground,  its  arrangement  in  masses, 
equally  are  subject  to  the  same  laws  that  would  direct  the  form 
of  its  exterior.  So  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  find  a  design 
which,  perfectly  suited  to  one  spot,  shall,  in  every  respect,  be  en 
tirely  appropriate  in  another. 

The  first  thing  to  be  done  upon  the  ground  towards  planning  a 
house,  is  to  secure  it  a  good  aspect. 

In  England,  it  is  veiy  common  to  face  the  building,  not  due 
north  and  south,  east  and  west,  but  to  place  it  diagonally,  so  that 
the  sun  shall,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  have  access  to  each  side 
of  the  house.  This  plan  has  advantages,  which  recommend  its 
adoption  in  some  cases  here. 

Although  the  southern  side  of  the  house  has,  in  warm  weather, 
the  sun  upon  its  front  for  a  longer  portion  of  the  day  than  any 
other,  it  is  nevertheless  the  most  desirable  for  occupancy.  A 


GENERAL    ARRANGEMENT.  21 

breeze  almost  always,  even  in  hottest  sunshine,  rustles  from  the 
south,  and  the  even,  steady  light,  although  bright  and  accom 
panied  with  heat,  is  cheerful.  Properly  contrived  blinds  will 
screen  the  sun,  and  due  regard  to  the  position  of  doors,  windows, 
and  ventilating  valves,  will  secure  a  constant  change  of  air  within 
the  rooms. 

^N\ 

As  a  general  rule,  the  entrance  hall  should  not  open  towards 
the  north,  but  towards  the  east,  south,  or  west ;  if,  however,  any 
local  peculiarity  obliges  the  necessity  of  the  northern  side  being 
chosen,  take  care  that  the  hall  door  is  screened  by  a  porch,  closed 
towards  the  north,  and  open  through  on  the  two  sides,  as  then 
though  the  door  be  thrown  back,  the  entrance  of  the  cold  air  will 
be  prevented.  A  carriage  porch  might  easily  be  so  arranged, 
the  northern  side  filled  in,  and  the  eastern  and  western  open 
with  a  broad  arch — affording  space  enough  for  a  carriage  to  be 
driven  through,  and  allowing  the  travellers  to  alight  under  cover, 
and  screened  in  winter  from  the  nipping  wind. 

The  kitchen  and  domestic  offices  may  jut  out  towards  the 
north,  and  stretching  towards  the  belt  of  trees  and  shrubs  the 
previous  chapter  described  as  screening  the  northern  exposure, 
would  leave  the  more  desirable  points  of  the  compass  for  the 
main  building. 

If  your  destined  home-life  is  going  to  be  that  of  one  at  leisure, 
or  a  seeker  of  rest  and  refined  and  refining  ease,  you  will  pro 
bably  desire  your  choice  room  to  be  a  sort  of  snuggery,  half- 
library,  half-saloon,  but  wholly  comfortable. 

And  so  you  take  a  sunny  southern  aspect  for  its  one  side  ;  and 
if  your  room  be  very  large,  you  divide  its  unity  somewhat  by  a 
bay-window  at  one  end,  probably  the  eastern.  In  this,  when  the 
noonday  blaze  is  pouring  on  your  exposed  side,  you  may  sit 


22  RURAL   HOMES. 

ensconced,  and  read  quietly  with  untroubled  eye  in  the  shade  of 
its  recess.  Or  you  only  occupy  one  outer  wall — the  southern — 
as  a  side  to  your  room,  shading  that  by  a  widely  extended 
veranda,  or  an  ombra,  as  represented  hi  the  frontispiece ;  thus 
having  always  perfect  seclusion,  with  a.  Cool  and  shady  retreat,  at 
the  hottest  portion  of  the  day. 

Your  next  thought  will  be  of  your  dining-room,  touching  the 
aspect  and  position  of  which  I  have  a  few  words  to  say. 

If  you  are  going  to  be  an  early-feeding,  unsitting-after-late 
dinner  family,  let  the  room  look  east,  and  for  this  reason.  In  the 
middle  of  the  day,  when  you  sit  down  to  table,  a  room  darkened 
to  exclude  the  sun,  is  both  inconvenient  and  uncomfortable  for 
purposes  that,  like  carving,  demand  a  steady  light.  By  noon 
the  sun  will  be  off  the  eastern  side,  so  you  may  dine  in  comfort, 
without  interposing  a  blind  as  a  barrier  between  your  table  and 
his  scrutinizing  glance. 

If,  however,  you  make  the  late  afternoon  or  early  evening  meal 
the  principal  event  of  the  day,  a  room  with  an  end  looking  west 
through  a  bay  in  which  the  golden,  glowing  light  may  stream 
cheerfully  in,  richly  touching  up  the  crystal  and  the  china  upon 
your  table,  and  adding  another  depth  of  mellow  beauty  to  your 
apricot  and  peach,  will,  I  think,  be  more  pleasant ;  and  so  the 
question,  touching,  as  I  conceive  it  to  do,  upon  these  two 
points,  I  will  leave,  if  you  please,  open  for  your  consideration. 

You,  of  course,  will  provide  a  little  gem  of  a  room — if  octagonal, 
or  oval,  or  quaintly  cornered,  so  much  the  better — for  the  lady 
of  the  house ;  and  whether  boudoir,  book-room,  or  work-room,  as 
its  fair  presiding  deity  may  determine,  let  it  have  the  sunniest 
aspect,  the  most  charming  prospect  you  can  give  it ;  for  there 
will  the  taste  that  can  best  enjoy  the  enjoyable — in  outer  view* 


DISTRIBUTION    OF   BOOMS.  23 

and  inner  elegance,  mostly  congregate.  Place  it  south  or  south 
west,  opening  into  a  plant  cabinet  or  an  ombra,  not,  I  think, 
directly  leading  on  to  the  main  piazza,  or  its  sweet  seclusion 
would  be  marred ;  but  yet  in  reach  of  all  the  agreeable  adjuncts 
to  the  house  which  you  have  been  able  to  attain. 

The  room  answering  to  the  saloon,  drawing-room,  or  best 
parlor,  is  difficult  to  treat  in  a  country-house.  That  a  large, 
cheerful,  gay,  and  airy  room  is  desirable,  I  am  not  disposed,  of 
course,  to  deny ;  but  a  room  opened  only  occasionally,  filled  with 
finery,  which  is  covered  up  from  vulgar  gaze  three-fourths  of  the 
year,  seems  to  me  too  party-ish  and  pretentious  for  the  country. 
Still,  a  room  for  the  evening  accommodation  of  a  large  family, 
and  for  the  occasional  reception  of  company,  is  at  least  a  con 
venience  ;  and  so,  cautioning  against  the  vulgar  error  of  sacri 
ficing  all  the  comfort  of  the  other  rooms  in  the  house  to  the 
attainment  of  a  showy  parlor,  we  will  consider  the  provision  of 
such  a  room  a  necessity,  and  trust  to  the  good  sense  of  its  occu 
pants  to  appropriate  it  properly. 

Make  a  large,  well-lighted  apartment,  facing  south  or  west, 
with  windows  opening  upon  a  spacious  piazza  ;  it  may  be  en  suite 
with  the  dining-room  and  boudoir,  but  not,  to  my  taste,  with  thy 
library.  Any  feature  that  will  break  the  regularity  of  its  outline, 
as  a  projecting  bow  or  bay  window,  will  take  from  the  too  dressy 
character  of  the  room,  and  will  be  desirable,  not  only  on  that 
account,  but  from  the  increased  cheerfulness  of  internal  aspect  it 
will  impart. 

In  all  good  houses  should  be  a  gentleman's  dressing-room ; 
near  the  hall  and  the  dining-room ;  but  yet  so  cunningly  con 
trived,  as,  whilst  easy  of  access,  to  be  nevertheless  retired,  and  its 
entrance  secured  from  observation. 


24  RURAL  HOMES. 

The  principal  staircase  should  be  roomy  and  easy  of  ascent, 
I  would  advise  that  it  be  off,  though  connecting  immediately  with, 
and  not  in  the  main  entrance  hall,  as  the  latter  could  give  an 
area  of  unobstructed  space,  very  desirable  if  the  house,  as  in 
holiday  times,  be  filled  with  many  dance  and  frolic-loving  people. 
The  first  landing  on  the  stairway  leading  to  the  chamber-story, 
should  be  so  arranged  as  to  come  on  the  same  level  as  the  floor 
of  rooms  and  passages  over  the  offices,  as  it  will  then  be 
handy  to  the  back,  or  servants'  staircase,  and  to  the  bathing- 
rooms,  etc. 

The  sleeping  apartments,  I  will  only  speak  of  here  just  so 
much  as  they  are  influenced  by  the  distribution  of  the  rooms  in 
the  floor  below.  They  should  be  spacious,  well-lighted  and 
ventilated,  and  should  all  have  separate  means  of  access  to  the 
hall  or  corridors. 

Dressing-rooms,  linen-closets,  housemaids'-closets,  bathing- 
rooms,  etc.,  etc.,  should  be  thought  about  in  arranging  the 
chamber  floor,  and  the  servants'  stairway  and  passages  ought,  if 
possible,  to  be  entirely  distinct  from  those  used  by  the  family. 

Some  few  directions  as  to  the  proportions  of  rooms  seem 
necessary  to  accurately  plan  the  outlines  of  the  building  upon  the 
ground,  which,  dear  reader,  is  all  we  will  attempt  at  present,  and 
then,  when  the 'excellencies  of  a  house  as  laid  down  in  the  last 
chapter  have  been  understood,  examples  of  houses,  and  ground 
and  chamber  plans  filled  out  in  detail,  can  be  discussed  with 
greater  profit. 

The  height  and  proportion  of  rooms  must,  in  a  measure,  depend 
upon  the  si™  of  the  building ;  there  are,  however,  certain  re 
strictions  that  may  be  stated. 

A  dining-room,  to  secure  the  comfort  of  the  diners,  should  not 


DISTRIBUTION    OF    ROOMS.  25 

be  ever  less  than  sixteen  feet,  though,  provided  the  fire-place  be 
at  the  end,  and  not  the  side  of  the  room,  if  needs  must  be.  a  less 
width  will  do ;  but  fifteen  is  the  minimum  even  then  for  ser 
vants  to  get  comfortably  between  the  table  and  the  wall. 

The  drawing-room  should  not  be  square,  but  rather  long  than 
otherwise.  The  fireplace  should  be  at  the  side  of  this  room,  un 
less  its  situation  in  reference  to  other  rooms  opening  in  connection 
with  it,  would  render  that  position  objectionable. 

As  a  rule,  endeavor  not  to  have  windows  at  opposite  sides  or 
ends  of  rooms,  (unless  only  one  end  be  kept  open  at  a  time,)  or 
they  will  produce  cross  lights  and  some  unpleasant  phenomena 
of  shadows  and  reflections,  very  trying  to  a  fair  face  or  a  che 
rished  picture. 

The  absolute  proportions  and  heights  of  rooms  have  caused  a 
good  deal  of  argumentation  and  writing  amongst  those  learned 
in  such  things ;  but,  as  a  general  rule,  I  may  state  to  you  that 
the  height  of  a  room,  to  produce  a  good  effect,  should  never  be 
less  than  three-fourths  of  its  width  ;  or,  as  a  still  better  and  more 
consequent  guide,  it  should  be  one-third  of  the  sum  of  the  width 
and  the  length  added  together.  . 

Thus,  in  an  apartment  sixteen  feet  by  twenty,  by  the  first  rule, 
the  height  would  be  twelve  feet ;  and  the  sum  of  the  width  and 
length  being  thirty-six  feet,  one-third  of  that  would  again  give 
the  height  as  twelve  feet ;  and  by  either  rule  the  result  would  be 
the  proper  altitude  for  such  a  sized  apartment. 

These  rules,  however,  will  not  apply  to  long  galleries,  corridors, 
etc.,  of  which  the  proportions  are  generally  as  varied  as  they  are 
arbitrary;  but  as  a  basis  for  determining  the  proper  height 
of  rooms,  as  usually  proportioned,  their  guidance  may  very  safely 
be  trusted. 


26  RURAL    HOMES. 

The  kitchen  and  domestic  offices  should  be  so  arranged  on  the 
ground  as  to  afford  ready  access  to  the  vegetable  garden,  the 
farm  yard,  and  the  lane  or  road.  Their  adjuncts,  as  wood-shed, 
out-house,  and  the  like,  should  be  enclosed  within  a  high  wall  01 
fence,  that  may  shut  them  from  view,  unless  the  screen  of  trees 
and  shrubs  will  do  so  effectually. 

It  is  very  desirable  that  there  should  be  abundant  space  for 
all  culinary  and  domestic  operations ;  this  may  be  gained,  not  so 
much  by  large  rooms  or  yard,  as  by  convenient  arrangement  of 
the  different  portions  of  the  offices.  A  large  kitchen  is  not  nearly 
so  really  useful  as  one  of  moderate  eize,  with  proper  conveniences 
of  pastry-room,  store-closet,  cook's  room,  sink-room,  and  scullery 
attached.  A  kitchen,  even  for  a  very  large  household,  need  not 
be  more  than  fifteen  or  sixteen  feet  by  twenty,  provided  it  has 
all  these  adjuncts  conveniently  near.  The  fire-place  should  be  at 
the  end  rather  than  the  side  of  the  room ;  it  is  then  more  easy 
to  avoid  the  heat,  and  greater  room  is  given  to  move  about,  and 
more  wall  space  for  shelves. 

The  domestic  offices  should  so  join  on  the  main  body  of  the 
house,  as  that  a  pantry  may  communicate  with  the  dining-room, 
and  a  passage  may  be  preserved  from  the  kitchen  or  servants' 
hall  into  the  principal  vestibule  of  the  dwelling. 

These  hints  will  suffice  to  show  what  must  be  thought  about  in 
mapping  out  the  house  upon  the  ground ;  we  have  now  the 
skeleton.  In  the  next  chapter,  the  materials  in  which  to  embody 
the  design  that  is  thus  far  framed,  will  be  described. 


CHAPTER  III. 

SELECTION  OF  MATERIALS— -HOW  SUITED  TO  PARTICULAR  STYLES. 

Now  for  the  house  itself.  The  best  way  to  set  about  building 
a  country  house,  I  suppose  I  ought,  with  Abernethy,  to  say,  is 
to  "  take  advice" — put  yourself  under  the  guidance  of  a  profes 
sional  man.  We  will  suppose  that  already  done,  and  so  I, 
standing  in  the  light  of  architectural  adviser,  will  proceed  to  the 
best  of  my  ability  to  give  the  requisite  information — as  fully  as 
if  my  retaining  fee  had  been  secured  in  the  shape  of  a  promised 
"  five  per  cent."  upon  the  cost  of  the  proposed  erection. 

The  true  way  to  commence,  is  to  first  consider  the  subject  in 
its  common-sense,  working-day  light.  You  are  going  to  put  up 
what  you  mean  as  your  home ;  you  want  screening  from  the 
sun,  and  sheltering  from  the  cold ;  you  desire  to  be  at  all  times 
snug  and  comfortable,  and  free  from  all  harassment,  in  any  way 
traceable  to  your  dwelling's  external  character  or  internal  accom 
modation. 

You  have  a  wholesome  dread  of  the  horrors  of  a  leaky  roof, 
and  of  possible  weekly  repairs ;  you  shudder  at  the  idea  of  a 
damp  bed-room,  or  a  mouldy  cupboard ;  and  you  have  mis 
givings  touching  the  amount  of  your  Saint  Anthony-like  forbear- 


28  RURAL    HOMES. 

ance  under  the  broiling  tortures  of  a  stifling  July  night,  beneath 
a  metal  roof,  and  in  an  un ventilated  bed-room  ;  and  so  all  these 
thoughts  make  you  reflect  very  deeply  before  choosing  your 
material  and  your  style.  You  notice  I  class  these  two  together 
because  I  hope  to  show  that  the  one  influences  the  other  rather 
more  than  it  is  the  fashion,  just  now,  to  allow. 

In  choosing  your  material  you  are,  of  course,  influenced  by  the 
selection  your  neighborhood  affords.  Wood  and  stone  are 
those  generally  used ;  brick  not  being  introduced  so  often  into 
country  buildings  as  I  think  it  might  be  with  great  advantage. 

For  a  house  on  a  very  large  scale,  wood  seems  unsuitable, 
because,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  it  is  suggestive  of  temporary 
intention  in  the  erection. 

Stone  is  of  many  characters,  and  needs  varied  treatment.  Its 
use  is  often  a  source  of  very  great  expense,  where  a  character  is 
attempted  the  particular  specimen  of  material  will  not  allow. 

Brick  does  not  seem  as  yet  to  have  had  a  fair  chance  of  trial : 
and  though,  where  stone  and  timber  are  in  abundance,  I  would 
not,  of  course,  prefer  its  adoption  ;  still  there  are  many  places  in 
this  country  where  it  is  both'  cheap  and  readily  obtained,  and  in 
such  places  I  conceive  a  far  better  use  might  be  made  of  it  than 
has,  so  far  as  my  personal  observation  goes,  been  attempted. 

England,  France,  and  Germany  abound  with  charming 
cottages,  entrance  lodges,  and  manorial  residences  constructed  of 
this  material ;  and  those  who  only  associate  with  "the  mention  of 
its  name  a  rectangular  oblong  three  inches  and  a  half  by  eight, 
would  have  a  much  more  respectful  opinion  of  its  capabilities 
were  they  to  see  Holland  House,  1'Hotel  Choiseul,  or  the  in 
numerable  pretty  things  dotted  about  the  sunny  lawns  of  West 
ern  Germany. 


WOODEN    BUILDINGS.  29 

If  your  building  is  of  moderate  dimensions,  and  with  timber 
conveniently  near,  you  prefer  to  use  wood,  do  thus  :  Let  timber, 
and  timber  only,  bo  evident  in  every  part  of  your  building. 
Don't  veneer  it  all  over  with  a  thin  ceiling  of  inch  boards,  nicely 
planed  and  fitted,  and  then  sanded,  and  painted,  and  lined  off, 
in  imitation  of  stone ;  because  if  you  do,  no  one  will  really  be 
deceived  by  it  but  yourself.  Especially,  don't  heap  Pelion  on 
Ossa,  and  glue  up  fluted  monsters  of  carpentry  in  front,  and 
fancy  because  they  have  the  outline  and  proportions  of  Doric 
columns,  and  have  painted  white  lines  at  even  distances  thereon, 
running  round  them  at  about  the  height  courses  of  stone  would 
be  cut,  you  have  shown  your  classical  taste,  and  possess  a  Grecian 
edifice.  You  have  no  such  thing ;  you  have  only  a  great  deal 
of  unnecessary  and  expensive  wood- work  constantly  to  paint  and 
keep  in  repair,  and  which  the  sooner  you  sweep  away  the 
better. 

If  you  like  a  smooth,  unbroken  surface,  and  prefer  ceiling  your 
house  to  clap-boarding  or  upright  planking  and  battens,  well  and 
good.  Ceil  it  and  sand  it  also,  if  you  will,  (and  sand  is  an  admir 
able  addition  to  your  whitelead  and  pigments,)  trusting  to  your 
verandas,  projection  of  roofs,  window  caps,  sills,  and  other 
features,  to  cast  shadows  and  reflexes  enough  to  break  the 
monotony  of  a  level  surface  of  tint,  which  you  will  find  by  these 
natural  causes  more  varied  than  if  lined  off  into  blocks  with 
white  paint  and  a  rule  stick. 

A  rustic  treatment  of  this  material  is  often  effective.  The 
veranda  may  be  supported  with  cedar  or  cypress  posts,  upon 
which  the  bark  has  been  left,  farther  preserving  its  adhesion  by 
smalt  tacks  driven  in  here  and  there,  and  the  whole  varnished 
with  a  pitchy  varnish  to  preserve  from  the  weather.  The  house 


80  RURAL    HOME8. 

itself  must  be  less  architectural  and  finished  in  its  details  to  con 
form  to  this  style ;  and  by  covering  externally  with  upright 
planking  and  battens,  by  projecting  the  roof  at  least  four  feet, 
and  by  avoiding  everything  that  looks  like  pretension,  a  very 
pretty  and  economical  dwelling  may  be  constructed. 

A  building  so  contrived  should  be  rather  low  than  high  ; 
should  bo  spread  upon  the  ground ;  should  have  high-pitched 
roofs,  with  the  gables  free  from  the  decoration  admissible  in  more 
ornate  styles.  The  rafters  and  roof-timbers  that  project  may  be 
simply  finished  by  cutting  their  ends  into  the  form  of  an  S,  as  in 
the  annexed  illustration,  and  by  substituting  a  deep  roll  moulding, 


from  six  to  twelve  inches  deep,  running  alike  under  the  eaves 
and  up  the  gables,  in  lieu  of  a  cornice.  The  windows  should  be 
low  and  broad,  rather  than  of  their  usual  proportions  ;  and 
many  of  my  friends  will  thank  me  for  telling  them  that  to  such 
a  house  outside  blinds  will  be  not  only  not  unsightly,  but  a 
source  of  beauty,  if  properly  managed ;  which  I  would  do  in  this 
wise  :  Cut  the  outer  or  lower  side  of  the  slats  to  a  curve,  or 
some  variation  from  a  horizontal  line,  and  make  the  frair.es 
broader  than  usual,  and  paint  them  a  shads  or  two  darker  or 
lighter  than  that  of  the  house. 

Such  a  building,  roofed  with  shingles,  and  painted  a  quiet 


GOTHIC    HOUSES.  81 

gray,  with  its  veranda  and  ombra  wreathed  with  graceful 
creepers,  I  can  picture  now  before  me  as  a  veiy  pretty  home. 

One  constructed  in  accordance  with  these  principles  will  be 
found  exhibited  in  detail  in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

Another  style,  for  which  wood  is  a  suitable  material,  is  that 
called  "  Gothic." 

Unfortunately  this  beautiful  and  eminently  rural  style  has 
been  vulgarized  and  greatly  abused ;  and  I  know  that  many 
pei-sons  of  pure  taste  are  hence  frightened  when  the  idea  of 
"  Gothic"  is  presented  to  them  as  the  style  suggested  for  their 
home. 

Excuse  me  now,  if  I  speak  a  little  scientifically.  Gothic  is  an 
architectural  classification  of  principles  of  erection  now  deter 
mined  simply  to  mean  pointed,  hi  contradistinction  to  those 
principles  which  recognized  rectangular  lines  as  their  fundamental 
basis ;  thus  classic  architecture,  as  it  is  called,  with  its  upright 
columns  and  pilasters,  and  its  entablature  and  cornice  resting  on 
them  at  right  angles,  or  springing  from  them  in  semi-circular 
curves,  is  very  easily  distinguished  from  that  style  which  has  its 
lines  all  tending  upwards  to  a  point,  and  of  which  its  curves,  in 
every  instance,  meet  in  a  point.  The  different  periods  at  which 
certain  styles  of  pointed  architecture  prevailed,  give  the  name  to 
its  various  classes  now  in  use.  Rural  Gothic  is  wrought  out 
from  these  different  styles,  and  though  the  peculiarities  of  each 
period  of  pointed  architecture  are  very  marked,  they  have  become 
universally  so  blended  in  modem  domestic  architecture,  a  de 
scription  of  the  points  of  difference  in  each  period  is  scarcely 
needed. 

But  the  great  principle  upon  which  all  were  based,  and  in 
which  all  agreed,  was  reality :  every  form  of  even  the  simplest 


32  RURAL   HOMES. 

moulding ;  every  line  and  portion  of  the  building  was  contrived 
exactly  to  answer  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  intended ;  and  in 
this  we  will  gladly  follow  the  mighty  artist-minds  of  old  whilst 
we  scorn  the  petty  trickery  of  servilely  copying  a  bit  here  and 
there  of  their  immortal  works,  and  leaving  unnoticed  the  inborn 
principle  which  made  each  bit  of  detail  beautiful. 

A  Gothic  house,  then,  is  a  building,  the  character  of  whose 
architecture  is  distinguished  by  the  upward  direction  of  its 
leading  lines,  and  by  such  curves  as  may  be  introduced  meeting, 
or  having  a  tendency  to  meet,  in  a  point.  It  may  be  highly 
ornamental,  or  left  perfectly  simple  ;  but  true  taste  will  be  out 
raged  if  ornament,  beautiful  as  it  may  be  in  itself,  is  introduced 
where  it  does  not  serve  some  purpose  of  construction. 

The  gables,  and  the  windows,  and  the  doors,  and  the  veranda, 
and  ombra,  may  all  be  decorated  as  richly  as  you  like  ;  but  it 
must  be  their  composing  parts  that  receive  the  decoration ;  there 
must  be  no  ornamental  work  stuck  on  here  and  there  without 
meaning  and  use :  too  much  ornamental  wood-work  about 
a  house,  any  way,  is  a  nuisance,  and  a  source  of  continued  ex 
pense. 

In  arranging  the  outlines  of  your  plan  upon  the  ground,  the 
selection  of  wood  as  the  material  will  permit  of  a  more  varied 
,and  irregular  shape  than  stone  or  brick,  the  corners,  which,  in 
mason-work,  add  so  considerably  to  the  expense,  not  being  a 
source  of  greater  outlay.  But  irregular  outline  on  the  ground  is 
apt  to  involve  intricacy  of  roof ;  be  therefore  thoroughly  satisfied 
the  latter  is  going  to  give  you  no  trouble  before  you  commence. 

Dormer  windows  on  the  roof  are  greatly  in  favor  writh  those 
who  design  Gothic  houses.  Unless  they  are  clear  above  the 
eaves,  so  as  to  allow  the  eaves'  gutters  to  run  below  them  in 


GOTHIC    HOUSES.  33 

unbroken  line,  they  will,  in  heavy  rains,  or  after  a  thaw,  be 
sources  of  great  trouble. 

A  very  pretty  effect  may  be  attained  by  cutting  off  the  corners 
of  the  shingles  before  nailing  them  on,  or  by  rounding  them  off, 
or  giving  them  any  other  form  that  will  work  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  present  the  appearance  of  an  ornamental  pattern  on  the 
roof.  The  covering  of  the  veranda  is  generally  of  metal,  but 
where  the  slope  will  allow  similar  shingles  to  be  used,  the  effect 
is  not  only  more  pleasing,  but  the  chambers  whose  windows 
overlook,  are  less  exposed  to  the  radiated  heat  from  the  large 
surface  of  metal  below. 

Those  who  have  noticed  recently  erected  Gothic  country- 
houses,  will  probably  remember  that  the  windows  seemed  a 
source  of  some  difficulty ;  they  were  either  ordinary  sash  win 
dows,  that  did  not  seem  to  harmonize  with  the  house,  or  they 
were  such  as  gave  great  trouble  to  the  inmates.  I  would  advise, 
where  the  character  of  open  tracery  is  attempted  to  be  given, 
that  it  be  made  solidly  and  as  a  fixture  outside ;  being,  in  fact, 
as  it  may  well  be  supposed  to  be,  the  ornamental  support  of  the 
lintel  above  ;  and  that  the  part  filled  with  glass  be  behind  and 
independent,  having,  however,  divisions  similar  in  character  to 
the  outer  frame.  This  method  of  executing  an  ornamental  win 
dow  will,  I  think,  be  found  productive  of  more  external  and 
internal  effect,  and  certainly  remedies  the  difficulties  I  have,  in 
the  course  of  my  experience,  found  to  exist. 

The  modern  Italian  bracketted  style  is  one  which  has  been 
frequently  adopted  for  wooden  buildings. 

It  demands  more  regularity  of  external  outline  upon  the 
ground,  and  hence  is  better  adapted  for  a  villa,  in  finished 


84  RUBAL    HOMES. 

garden  grounds,  than  for  a  rural  home  in  a  picturesque  and 
natural  situation. 

Its  element  consisting  in  the  constant  recurrence  of  horizontal 
lines,  a  flat  roof  seems  almost  indispensable ;  a  high  pitch,  or 
pointed  gables,  are  therefore  out  of  place. 

It  permits  great  variation  in  the  heights  of  different  parts  of 
the  building ;  but  the  breaks  must  be  made  vertically  from  a 
horizontal  line — not  by  slope  pointing  above  slope,  as  in  the  spire 
and  tower  of  a  Gothic  structure. 

The  species  of  buildings  whence  this  style,  as  used  now, 
originated,  abounded  in  campanili,  or  bell-towers,  the  form  and 
character,  though  not  the  uses  of  which  are  retained — the  upper 
story  of  said  towers  being  finished  as  an  observatory,  affording  a 
cool  and  pleasant  retreat,  from  the  open  windows  of  which  an 
extended  prospect  may  be  commanded.  In  a  house  of  mine  on 
the  Hudson,  this  portion  of  the  tower  is  intended  as  a  billiard- 
room.  For  small  and  unpretending  country  dwellings,  this  style 
is  desirable  equally  with  those  on  a  large  scale,  and  in  many 
situations  would  be  found  to  look  more  home-like  than,  perhaps, 
almost  any  other. 

The  great  objection  is  the  necessity  for  a  flatter  pitch  of  roof 
than  a  shingle  covering  will  allow ;  and  there  are  many  reasons 
that  a  metal  roof  should  not  be  resorted  to,  where  shingles  can 
be  used.  A  sufficient  pitch  of  roof  to  permit  covering  with 
shingles  would  give  an  entirely  different  character  to  a  house 
erected  in  this  style;  but  a  modification  may  be  resorted  to, 
which  will  render  such  a  pitch  perfectly  admissible.  In  such  a 
case,  the  slope  of  other  roofs,  such  as  veranda,  porch,  etc.,  should 
agree  with  it ;  and  it  may  farther  be  harmonised  by  making  the 
brackets  much  longer  or  deeper  than  if  tho  roofe  were  flatter. 


MATERIAL.  35 

Circular-headed  windows  are  found  very  generally  in  the 
various  examples  of  buildings  from  which  this  style  has  been 
derived.  They  are  often  introduced  in  modern  buildings  here  ; 
but  where  outside  blinds  are  to  be  used,  they  do  not  look  very 
well,  as  each  half  of  th«  blind,  when  open,  presents  an  unsightly 
appearance. 

One  advantage  this  style  possesses  is  the  adaptation  it  affords 
to  internal  furnishing  and  decoration.  Gothic  furniture  is  too 
apt  to  look  outre  ;  but  any  species  of  modern  cabinet  work,  ex 
cepting  Gothic,  looks  well  in  a  room  of  this  character. 

Wood  when  selected  for  the  construction  of  a  dwelling  of  this 
character,  has  one  disadvantage  connected  with  it,  in  the  too 
great  temptation  to  introduce  ornamental  work,  which  in  this 
facile  material  is  apt  to  lead  into  the  putting  up  of  a  great  deal 
of  unnecessary  carpentry,  the  maintenance  of  which  will  be  at 
tended  with  expense. 

In  speaking  of  these  three  different  classes  of  country  houses — 
the  Rural,  the  Gothic,  and  the  Italian — I  have  comprised  all 
those  that  are  generally  seen.  Other  varieties  there  are,  I  know ; 
but  they  all  have  so  much  in  common  with  some  one  or  other  of 
these  three,  that  my  readers  will  not  wish  me  to  describe 
them. 

Stone,  with  its  pleasant  associations  of  moss  and  fretted  sur 
face,  seems  the  material  for  a  quiet,  rustic  home ;  there  is  some 
thing  in  its  aspect,  of  appeal  from  the  long,  long  past,  and  <j? 
promise  of  endurance  in  the  future,  that  must  make  it  especially 
sought  after  by  those  who  preach  a  crusade  against  the  ephemeral 
pretensions  of  the  present  day. 

Where  it  is  found  in  abundance  upon  the  spot,  and  its  charac- 


36  RURAL    HOMES. 

ter  is  such  as  a  respectable  mason  would  recommend  for  building 
purposes,  I  would  say,  use  it  for  your  house,  by  all  means. 

If  you  are  from  the  city,  do  not,  however,  fancy,  because  stone 
is  your  material,  that  you  must  have  a  Fifth  Avenue  front.  If 
your  stone  is  susceptible  of  dressing  and  tooling,  as  it  is  called, 
and  your  purse  and  the  character  you  mean  to  give  to  the  archi 
tecture  will  allow  cut  stone  to  at  least  portions  of  the  erection, 
there  can  be  no  objection  to  artistically  displaying  the  material 
to  the  best  advantage  ;  but  even  then,  unless  you  are  seeking  to 
build  a  palace,  do  not  think  of  having  your  building  faced  with 
cut  stone.  Rough  stone,  as  it  comes  from  the  quarry,  and  laid 
in  its  natural  bed,  for  the  walls,  and  cut -stone  for  your  door  and 
window  dressings,  and  your  plinth  and  porch,  if  you  will ;  and 
the  one  will  give  contrast  and  value  to  the  other. 

If,  however,  the  texture  of  the  stone  should  not  prove  suffi 
ciently  fine  for  working,  and  you  desire  to  build  the  walls 
simply  in  a  durable  and  substantial  manner,  use  the  stone  as 
follows : 

Let  the  quarrymen  split  it  off  just  as  the  veins  of  the  stone 
make  it  most  easily  worked.  Select  such  pieces  as,  from  their 
length  and  even  quality,  seem  adapted  for  sills  and  lintels,  and  use 
the  remainder  just  in  the  shape  it  naturally  comes  upon  your 
ground  from  the  quarry.  In  building  your  walls,  lay  the  stone  in 
*s  exact  bed  as  it  lay  in  the  quarry,  and  here  and  there  let  long 
pieces  be  introduced,  the  length  of  the  thickness  of  your  walls  ; 
these,  lying  across,  would  serve  as  bonders  to  the  walls,  and  will 
materially  strengthen  the  work.  A  wall  built  in  this  manner,  in 
irregular  courses,  looks  remarkably  well  for  country  buildings, 
and  it  is  the  method  in  which  the  time-honoured  rural  churches 


STONE    HOl'SES. 


of  England  have  been  built,  than  which  more  simply  beautiful 
or  more  durable  erections  cannot  be  found. 


This  sketch  shows  the  wall  laid  in  the  manner  described ; 
solid  "  quoins"  as  they  are  called  are  built  into  the  corners,  one 
alternately  overlapping  the  other.  The  other  stones  .are  placed 
in  layers  with  the  direction  of  their  lamina  as  imbedded  in  the 
quarry,  and  at  certain  distances  apart  "  bonders" — indicated  by 
letters  A  and  B — pass  solidly  through,  and  give  union  and  ad 
hesive  connection  to  the  masonry. 

Many  builders  will  tell  you  to  place  your  stones  edgeways  or 
upright,  instead  of  in  the  solid  manner  I  have  described ;  and  it 
is  true  the  masonry  will  look  as  if  constructed  of  larger  blocks, 
and  will  have  a  more  regular  appearance,  but  it  is  by  no  means 
so  durable — the  walls,  in  fact,  being  no  more  than  shells  of  outer 
and  inner  veneering  of  smoothly-fitted  slabs  of  stone  placed  on 
end,  and  filled  in  with  loose  bits  of  rubbish  and  mortar,  A  wall 
can  even  be  built  more  rapidly  if  laid  as  I  direct ;  because  no 
time  is  taken  in  selecting  the  stone,  and  of  course  the  stone  is 
quarried  and  built  into  the  walls  at  less  expense. 

Persons  complain  of  stone  houses  in  the  country  being  damp. 
This  inconvenience  is  caused  by  the  walls  not  being  properly 
built,  rather  than  by  the  nature  of  the  material  itself.  Such 
dampness  as  may  be  found  in  a  stone  building,  comes,  not  from 


88  RURAL    HOMES. 

surface  exposure  to  the  weather,  but  from  wet  arising  in  the 
walls  by  capillary  attraction  from  the  ground.  A  wall  built  as  I 
speak  of,  would  prevent  this ;  because  the  pores  of  the  grain 
would  be  horizontal,  and  the  possibility  of  dampness  finding  its 
way  by  any  means  through  the  interstices  upwards,  may  be 
guarded  against  by  building  a  course  of  slate  into  the  walls 
above  the  ground,  and  immediately  under  the  joists  of  the  first 
floor.  This,  where  slate  can  easily  be  procured,  is  an  infallible 
method ;  and  where  it  is  not  within  reach,  a  course  of  large 
stones,  of  the  width  of  the  thickness  of  the  walls,  and  about 
four  inches  thick,  laid  in  hydraulic  cement,  will  do  equally 
well. 

A  wall  may  be  plastered  inside,  without  any  furring  out,  as 
usually  done,  if  built  as  above,  and  without  any  fear  of  wet  find 
ing  its  way  in. 

A  country  house,  to  be  built  of  stone,  in  the  rural  manner 
described  in  my  last,  would  require  to  be  of  very  simple  form ; 
there  should  be  few  breaks  in  the  outline,  and  the  effect  called 
by  artists  "  breadth"  must  be  that  sought. 

The  veranda,  windows,  doors,  and  roof,  may  be  treated  in  a 
manner  similar  to  that  recommended  for  the  rural  home  sketched 
in  the  commencement  of  the  chapter.  The  windows  should  be 
set  deeply  in  the  walls,  and  the  roofs  have  a  greater  projection, 
and  their  timbers  that  show  be  somewhat  heavier  in  their 
scantlings.  Let  the  stone  be  rough,  just  as  the  masons  lay  it, 
knocking  off,  here  and  there,  with  a  hammer,  any  fragment  that 
seems  to  jut  out  too  prominently,  and  I  would  much  prefer  that 
the  walls  be  not  rough-cast. 

In  building  on  a  Gothic  plan,  the  style  would  have  to  be  less 
!*-   Details  than  if  the  material  were 


BTOXE    HOUSES.  39 

minutiae  of  the  building  should  be  more  massive  in  their  cha 
racter. 

Bay-windows,  or  other  projecting  portions  of  the  plan,  only 
partially  extended  up  the  walls,  may  be  more  easily  and  always 
more  economically  constructed  of  wood  than  of  stone.  Indeed, 
unless  the  piers  between  the  openings  be  very  large,  the  latter 
material  can  scarcely  be  used  unless  cut,  and  then  entailing  con 
siderable  expense.  But  so  constructed,  (of  wood)  a  different 
treatment  must  be  sought ;  stone  must  not  be  imitated,  but  the 
character  of  the  design  of  such  a  feature  be  evidently  appropriate 
to  the  material ; — harmony  with  the  rough  stone  walls  being 
obtained  by  the  wood-work  being  sanded  to  protect  from  the 
weather,  and  painted  to  suit  the  tone  of  coloring  of  the  stone. 
By  the  means  thus  taken  to  preserve  (a  mode  perfectly  allowable 
and  no  wise  approaching  the  vulgarity  of  imitation),  the  tint  of 
the  rough  wall  and  the  quality  of  its  texture  will  be  assimilated 
with. 

Outside  shutter-blinds  never  seem  to  match  with  rough  stone 
walls  ;  and  as  the  thickness  of  the  latter  is  such  as  in  all  cases 
to  permit  of  their  being  arranged  inside,  I  would  advise  their 
being  so  contrived,  and  a  pent  roof  over  the  window  will  add  as 
much  to  the  picturesque  external  appearance,  as  it  will  to  the 
internal  comfort  of  the  building. 

An  illustration  is  here  given  of  such  a  window  covering. 
The  roof,  a  simple  lean-to,  is  supported  by  brackets  built  into 
the  walls  of  the  house,  and  made  of  wood.  This  covering  should 
be  so  placed  as  that  the  head  of  the  window  would  be  about  one 
foot  above  the  drop  of  the  roof. 

The  modem  Italian,  as  described  in  this  chapter,  is  as  suitable 
for  erection  in  stone  as  in  wood,  but  the  masonry  should  generally 


40 


RURAL    HOMES. 


be  more  regular  and  finished  than  would  be  requisite  for  either  of 
those  described  before.     Hence  the  expense  will  be  greater,  but 


provided  the  simplicity  of  the  wood-work  and  other  portions  of 
the  house  were  agreeable,  a  rough  stone  building  would  look 
very  well,  even  if  its  outlines  and  its  general  form  were  in 
strictest  accordance  with  the  severest  requisitions  of  the  style. 

Open  arches  are  prominent  features  in  an  Italian  rural  build 
ing;  the  veranda,  the  porch,  ombra,  and  window-openings, 
especially  those  of  the  upper  story  of  the  tower,  may  take  this 
beautiful  form,  and  the  massive  nature  of  the  material  of  the 
house  will  blend  delightfully  with  the  ideas  of  strength  the  arch 
conveys. 

Terraces  are  constantly  associated  features  with  this  style,  and 
if  the  ground  upon  which  your  home  is  to  be,  naturally  presents 
a  terraced  appearance,  a  very  little  aid  from  art  will  soon 
convert  it  into  the  beautiful  form  that  is  so  suitable  to  an 
Italian  villa. 

Moulded  brick  might  be  frequently  used  upon  a  country- 
house;  and  brick,  as  a  suitable  material  for  building,  must 
receive  a  few  moments'  attention  before  I  bring  this  chapter  to  a 
close. 


BRICK    AS    A    BUILDING    MATERIAL.  41 

It  is  not  so  suitable  for  Gothic  as  for  oilier  styles,  though  the 
Tudor,  as  it  is  called,  which  is  but  a  later  period  of  Gothic 
architecture,  seems  well  adapted  to  its  use,  and  England  and 
the  western  portion  of  the  Continent  of  Europe  abound  in  ex 
amples. 

Brick  walls  should  be  built  hollow.  They  will  be  cheaper, 
drier,  and  afford  room  for  sliding-shutters,  windows,  and  blinds, 
and,  above  all,  give  the  opportunity  for  thorough  and  easily-con 
trolled  ventilation.  Insist  upon  your  builder  wetting  the  bricks 
before  laying  them  on  the  walls,  if  even  you  have  to  pay  the 
labor  of  an  extra  man  on  purpose  to  do  so.  Your  walls  will  be 
stronger  and  drier  if  you  do. 

Do  not,  as  a  general  rule,  permit  any  smoke-flues  in  outer 
walls.  They  are  the  cause  of  an  extravagant  waste  of  heat,  and 
of  unsightly  seams  and  stains  down  your  external  walls,  particu 
larly  if  painted.  If  you  have  a  cistern  in  your  roof,  build  a 
kitchen  or  some  constantly-used  flue  through  it.  You  will  then 
not  fear  frost;  and  if,  once  every  six  months,  you  will  place 
therein  a  bushel  of  powdered  charcoal,  you  need  not  have  stag 
nant,  fetid  water,  breeding  corruption  in  your  home. 

If  your  brick  house  is  to  be  painted,  cover  it  with  two  coats  of 
paint  in  the  fall.  The  bricks  will  be  thoroughly  dry  then,  and 
the  quantity  of  paint  will  be  amply  sufficient  to  repel  all  wet 
during  the  winter,  and  will  be  ready-toned  down  to  receive  the 
finishing  coat  or  coats  in  the  spring. 

Whilst  in  this  connection,  a  few  words  upon  the  painting  of 
a  brick  building,  and  I  have  done. 

The  color  chosen  should  be  one  that  will  suit  the  objects 
around.  If  there  be  many  lichen-covered  rocks  near,  or  grey 
mountains  in  the  distance,  against  which  the  building  is  seen, 


42  RURAL    HOMES. 

the  tint  should  be  a  cool  grey,  which  may  be  made  with  any 
blue  that  will  stand,  mixed  with  one  tenth  part  Venetian  rea, 
and  lowered  with  white  as  requisite  ;  and  I  have  frequently  used 
sand  upon  brick  buildings  with  great  advantage,  by  mixing  it 
with  the  last  two  coats,  or  even  the  last,  and  applying  it  with  a 
wire-brush,  which,  though  requiring  a  strong  arm,  is  much  more 
satisfactory  in  its  effect  than  if  the  sand  were  dusted  on,  which 
leaves  a  number  of  shining  particles  to  catch  the  light,  and  by 
their  dazzling  appearance,  destroy  the  quiet,  even  tone  of  color  a 
house  should  possess,  and  which  the  former  method  will  secure. 

If  the  house  be  surrounded  by  trees,  many  of  which  are  ever 
greens  of  dark  foliage,  a  lighter  and  more  distinguishing  color 
may  be  used.  Cream  color,  made  by  mixing  one  part  raw 
umber,  two  parts  raw  sienna,  one  fourth  part  burnt  umber,  to 
one  hundred  parts  white  lead  and  oil.  The  last  coat,  mixed 
with  silver  sand,  is  a  very  beautiful  tint  for  a  building  in  such  a 
situation. 

The  taste  of  the  owner  will  no  doubt  lead  to  the  selection  of 
a  proper  color,  particularly  as  I  have  said  enough  to  guide  him ; 
and  I  will  conclude,  by' quoting  the  advice  given  by  a  noted 

English  landscape  painter  under  similar  circumstances  :     "  Pluck 

• 
up  a  tuft  of  grass  near  you,  observe  the  tone  of  coloring  the 

earth  adhering  to  its  roots  possesses,  and  paint  your  house  the 
tint  you  see  there." 

The  gist  of  this  remark  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  tone  of  color 
ing  of  natural  objects  immediately  around  you  is  the  best  possible 
pattern-card  from  which  to  select  the  pigment  you  desire  your 
painters  to  use. 


CIIAPTEE  IY. 

HEALTH    IN  A  HOME  ; AS    DEPENDENT  UPON  VENTILATION,  AND   ' 

ON  MEANS   OF  OBTAINING  ARTIFICIAL  HEAT. 

A  COMFORTABLE  home  must  be  both  a  warm  and  a  sweet 
one. 

Its  warmth  is  dependent  in  winter  upon  its  provisions  for  arti 
ficial  heating ;  its  sweetness,  at  all  seasons,  upon  its  ventilation  ; 
its  thorough  comfort,  upon  both. 

Dickens's  "  Household  Demon,"  an  air-tight  stove,  will  afford 
the  one,  so  far  as  certain  degrees  of  the  thermometer  are  any 
indication,  and  an  open  door  and  window,  when  its  hot  breath 
has  become  a  little  too  searching,  will,  according  to  generally 
received  country  practice,  supply  the  other. 

The  cold  air  thus  admitted  is  soon  weakened  by  its  battling 
with  the  stifling  heat,  and  another  reinforcement  from  without 
becomes  necessary ;  and  so,  in  severe  weather,  the  temperature 
is  constantly  jumping  from  extremely  hot  to  extremely  cold. 
After  a  while,  the  decomposed  air  gathers  upon  the  ground, 
where  its  weight  has  taken  it,  and  heaps  itself  up,  layer  upon 
layer,  until  it  reaches  the  mouth  and  nostrils  of  those  sitting  in 
the  room,  who,  in  every  eighteen  respirations,  inhale  in  the 
course  of  a  minute,  a  gallon  of  stuff  so  foul,  as,  could  it  be  made 


44 


RURAL    HOME9. 


sensible  to  sight  in  the  form  of  a  refreshing  draught,  would  fill 
them  -with  loathing  and  dismay. 

With  an  open  fire,  the  evil  is  somewhat  lessened,  but  not  re 
moved  ;  with  a  furnace,  it  is  changed.  What  is  to  be  done  ? 
Would  you  cut  off  all  means  of  artificially  warming  ?  Certainly 
not ;  but,  in  warming — purify  ! 

The  simple  principle  upon  which  this  purification  must  be 
effected  is  this :  Provide  a  means  for  withdrawing  the  debris  of 
every  gallon  of  warm  air  you  admit,  and  you  may  do  so  in  the 
following  manner  : — 

Say  you  are  sitting  in  a  room  eighteen  feet  wide  by  twenty- 
six  feet  long,  and  that  the  fire-place,  or  register,  is  in  the  centre 
of  one  of  the  longer  sides  ;  the  windows  are  at  one  end,  and  the 
doors  at  the  other,  or  in  the  side  opposite  the  fire-place. 


Ly  the  h^lp  of  the  annexed  plan,  I  can  make  the  method  I 
wouH  prepo*-."  nppnront 


IMPERFECT    VENTILATION.  45 

In  this,  the  letter  C  represents  the  position  of  the  fire-place 
or  hot  air  supplying  register ;  the  doors  into  the  room  are,  we 
will  say,  upon  the  opposite  side,  and  the  windows  at  either 
end. 

As  the  freshly  warmed  air  comes,  into  the  room  it  will 
gradually  ascend,  and  in  its  ascent  will  incorporate  with  itself 
the  lighter  portions  of  decomposed  air  that  have  escaped  from 
the  lungs,  leaving  the  heavier  but  equally  impure  gases  to  settle 
near  the  floor.  For  the  escape  of  this  upward  flow  of  foul  air, 
openings  are  made  in  or  near  the  ceiling,  at  the  points  indicated 
by  the  letters  A,  A ; — these  openings  communicate  with  air-ducts 
or  flues,  which  I  will  presently  describe. 

If,  however,  the  aperture  for  the  escape  of  foul  air  be  solely  at 
the  ceiling,  much  of  the  warm,  good  air  will  fly  off,  as  well  as 
some  of  the  upper  vitiated  atmosphere,  and  hence  lower  the 
temperature  of  the  room,  and  demand  an  increased  supply  of 
heat.  The  ventilation,  therefore,  of  the  apartment  given  as  an 
example,  is  not  yet  complete. 

Many  persons  who  have  furnaces  or  other  heating  apparatus 
in  their  buildings,  complain  of  not  being  able  to  obtain  a  suffi 
cient  heat,  not  being,  perhaps,  aware,  that  the  fault  very  probably 
lies  in  a  want  of  means  for  escape  of  the  dense  impure  strata  of 
air  that  are  stagnating  just  above  the  floor,  and  through  which 
the  fresh  warm  air  cannot  penetrate  in  sufficient  purity  and 
volume  to  raise  the  temperature  of  the  room. 

This  was  found  to  be  the  case  at  the  Patent  Office  in  Wash 
ington.  An  excellent  warming  apparatus  had  been  used,  but  in 
a  certain  room,  about  forty  feet  square,  tightly  closed,  and  with 
(I  think)  but  one  window  at  the  end,  it  was  found  impossible  to 
attain  a  heat  exceeding  forty  degrees  Fahrenheit,  with  the  fur- 


46  RURAL    HOMES. 

nace  turned  on  to  its  full  blast ;  when  some  one  suggested  to 
cut  a  hole  in  the  floor,  which  was  no  sooner  done  than  the 
confined  ponderous  gases  plunged  down  the  aperture,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  the  thermometer  showed  the  excessive  heat  of  ninety 
degrees. 

These  remarks  I  introduce  to  show  the  necessity  of  providing 
some  downward  conducting  flues,  as  well  as  those  leading  up 
wards.  At  the  letters  B,  B,  are  openings  in  the  wash-board  im 
mediately  above  the  floor  of  the  room  conducting  into  air 
passages  that  discharge  themselves  below. 

The  action  of  the  air  in  the  room  thus  provided  with  apertures 
for  escape  and  supply  of  air  will  be  as  follows :  As  it  rolls  in 
volumes  of  warmth  into  the  room,  it  will  expand  and  ascend, 
moderately,  however,  because  the  top  openings  must  not  be  too 
large  for  undue  escape  of  heat.  As  it  becomes  used,  the  de- 
oxygenated  portions  having  a  heavier  specific  gravity  than  the 
pure  air,  will  fall  towards  the  floor,  and  be  drawn  off  by  the  air- 
ducts  and  dissipated  below.  The  lighter,  heated  air  also 
expelled  from  the  lungs,  will  escape  into  the  apertures  above,  as 
will  also  all  superfluous  heat,  the  apertures  in  the  ceiling  being 
provided  with  regulating  valves,  so  that,  guided  by  a  thermo 
meter  within  the  room,  its  occupants  may  ^acluate  the  supply 
from  the  register  and  escape  through  the  flue. 

These  apertures  for  the  upward  escape  of  air  must  be  furnished 
with  one  of  Arnott'a  Patent  Ventilating  Valves,  a  simple  and 
most  effective  little  article  recently  introduced  from  England,  and 
now  furnished  by  the  Berrians,  601  Broad  vav.  with  great  im 
provements  in  external  form  and  appearance,  and  in  the  method 
of :  cting. 

This  ventilator   is  provided  with  a   balanced   valve,  which 


VENTILATING    VALVE. 


closes  instantly  at  the  slightest  puff  of  air  from  above ;  hence 
effectually  preventing  downward  draught,  or  the  escape  of  smoke 
into  the  room  if  placed  in  connection  with  an  ordinary  smoke- 
flue. 

A  regulating  lever  is  also  attached  by  which  the  opening  of 
the  valve  and  consequent  size  of  the  aperture  of  escape  may  be 
adjusted  at  will. 

A  cut  is  here  given  showing  this  little  machine.  The  outer 
portion  which  comes  flush  upon  the  wall  might  be  made  of  any 
form  or  ornamented  at  pleasure. 


FEONT  VIEW. 


SIDE  VIEW. 


The  box  is  let  into  the  wall,  so  that  the  outside  face  may  come 
even  with  its  surface.  The  price  for  one  as  here  represented  is 
three  dollars,  other  and  more  ornamental  forms  are  in  proportion. 

The  flue  for  downward  escape  of  impure  air  may  conduct 
into  any  part  of  the  cellar,  or  even  into  the  open  air,  and  an 
ordinary  register,  or  simply  a  perforated  metal  front,  would  be 
all  that  is  needed  within  the  room. 

In  making  these  flues,  abrupt  turns  or  shoulders,  or  any  other 


48  RURAt    HOMES. 

direction  than  a  perpendicular  one,  must  be  carefully  avoided, 
unless  the  current  be  very  strong. 

If  the  house  is  warmed  by  a  furnace,  a  very  perfect  means  of 
ventilation  may  be  adopted  by  providing  an  escape-flue  and  air- 
chamber  of  large  dimensions,  through  which  the  smoke-flue  from 
the  furnace  may  be  led,  the  spare  heat  from  which  would,  by  its 
radiation,  cause  expansion  and  consequent  rapid  motion  of  the 
air  contained  in  the  flue  and  air-chamber  around  it,  and  hence 
provide  a  current  sufficiently  strong  to  draw  off  all  impure  air 
from  the  various  rooms  wrhich,  by  means  of  air-ducts,  communi 
cated  with  it. 

But  these  air-ducts  must  equally  be  means  of  escape  for 
impure  air,  both  from  the  upper  and  lower  portions  of  the  room, 
or  the  ventilation  will  be  very  imperfect. 

The  form  and  nature  of  the  flues  themselves  require  atten 
tion.  If  built  of  stone  or  brick,  their  inside  surfaces  should  be 
pargetted  or  plastered,  or  the  roughened  sides  will  too  greatly 
impede  the  passage  of  the  air  by  friction.  A  circular,  elliptical, 
or  square  with  bevelled  corners  are  more  desirable  forms  than 
the  narrow  parallelogram  usually  employed,  but  on  account,  not 
so  much  of  expense,  as  the  unwillingness  of  masons  to  depart 
from  established  usage,  although  cylindrical  flues  are  very  com 
monly  used  in  England,  and  are  found  to  be  more  cheaply  built. 
They  are,  I  believe,  almost  unknown  here. 

But  the  mere  provision  of  these  flues  is  not  all  that  is  neces 
sary,  nor  would  the  method  of  ventilation  here  described  be 
sufficient  except  during  such  seasons  as  will  allow  the  use  of  a 
furnace  or  fire. 

The  air  will  not  ascend  of  itself  into  these  flues,  nor  will  it 


METHODS    OF    VENTILATION.  49 

descend  and  be  discharged  without  some  motive  power  being 
given  to  it. 

This  motive  power,  when  a  furnace  or  fire  is  in  operation,  can 
be  obtained  by  the  radiation  of  the  artificially  heated  air,  and 
all  that  will  be  necessary  is  to  terminate  the  flues  that  lead 
above  the  building  with  a  "cowl"  or  "wind-guard,"  to  pro 
tect  from  draughts  of  air.  In  his  admirable  and  invaluable 
report  upon  "Ventilating  Buildings,"  Dr.  Bell,  of  the  McLean 
Asylum  for  the  Insane,  near  Boston,  says:  "Any  flues  de 
pending  wholly  upon  the  action  of  cowls  or  turn-caps  in  any 
of  their  numerous  forms,  are  totally  unequal  to  the  demands 
of  a  constant,  reliable  ventilation."  Those  ventilators  which 
are  so  constantly  advertised  to  the  public  as  at  all  times  causing 
circulation  of  air  within  the  building  cr.nnot  therefore  be  de 
pended  upon — they  will  only  assist — but  unless  used  in  con 
junction  with  other  means  (presently  to  be  described)  their 
action  will  only  be  when  there  is  a  current  of  air  flowing  across 
the  roof,  and  bearing  upon  the  sides  of  the  ventilating  cap 
employed.  Of  these  numerous  machines,  that  made  by  Jane  s, 
Beebe  &  Co.  of  New  York,  is  undoubtedly  the  best,  and  will 
take  advantage  of  the  slightest  breath  of  air  that  stirs. 

The  reliable  means,  therefore,  to  be  employed  is  this :  One 
of  the  escape  flues  from  the  room  must  lead  into  a  shaft  which 
may  ventilate  the  whole  house  very  easily  and  economically, 
and  in  the  following  manner :  At  all  times  of  the  year 
culinary  operations  demand  a  heating  apparatus,  giving  a  con 
stant,  though,  perhaps,  varying  degree  of  warmth.  The  dis 
charging  smoke-flue  from  this,  conducted  into  a  large  shaft, 
would  at  all  seasons'  produce  motion  in  the  column  of  air 
therein  contained,  and  this,  aided  too  by  a  ventilating  cap  o" 


50  RURAL    HOMES. 

extra  size  placed  at  the  top  of  the  shaft,  would  draw  off  from 
all  the  rooms  that  could  be  brought  in  connection  with  it  the 
vitiated  air,  from  both  above  and  below. 

To  exemplify  this,  let  me  refer  again  to  the  little  plan  given. 
Let  one  of  the  upper  apertures  communicate  with  the  shaft, 
to  be  used  during  summer — let  one  of  the  downward  shafts 
also  so  communicate — and  the  other,  left  as  before,  but  kept 
always  open,  would  supply  cold  fresh  air  to  the  lower  portion 
of  the  room,  a  thing  so  necessary,  that  it  seems  strange 
builders  should  only  permit  cracks,  or  the  occasional  opening  of 
doors,  to  admit  what  the  first  principle  of  pneumatics  requires, 
it  being  impossible  that  vitiated  air  can  escape,  when  no  fresh 
air  can  take  its  place. 

Open  windows  are  not  always  desirable,  nor  to  ventilate 
successfully  and  reliably  are  they  at  all  to  be  wished  for  ;  but  as 
this  involves  an  explanation  of  a  system  of  ventilation  more 
thorough  and  elaborate  than  ordinary  dwelling  houses  would 
require  or  permit,  I  will  content  myself  with  saying,  that  it  is 
best  to  consider  windows  as  only  auxiliary  aids  to  ventilation, 
securing  perfect  circulation  of  air  in  the  apartment  without. 

The  shaft  spoken  of  in  connexion  with  the  kitchen  fire  may 
be  thus  supplied  with  hot  air : 

A  large  metal  chest  or  chamber,  supplied  with  fresh  air  from 
behind,  should  be  built  into  the  chimney  of  the  kitchen,  or  other 
room  where  fires  are  daily  used.  This  chamber  must  be  placed 
back  of  the  fire-place,  stove,  or  other  cooking  apparatus,  or  over 
the  boiler,  if  hot-water  bathing  apparatus  is  provided.  It  must 
be  capable  of  containing  not  less  than  ten  cubic  feet  of  air,  and 
from  its  top  a  pipe,  not  less  than  six  inches  in  diameter,  would 
lead  into  the  discharging  flue  intended  for  ventilation,  and  then 


METHODS    OF    VETTILATION.  61 

diminished  so  as  to  leave  around  it,  in  the  shaft,  a  space  of  at 
least  two  inches  in  the  clear,  each  way.  Thus  diminished,  it 
should  extend  upwards  in  the  flue  for  at  least  ten  or  fifteen 
feet. 

The  radiation  thus  caused  will  produce  a  sufficiently  strong 
current  to  draw  off  from  the  rooms  connected  with  it  all  im 
purities  of  atmosphere,  as  before  explained. 

In  many  parts  of  this  country,  and  especially  in  the  Southern 
States,  a  summer  kitchen  is  used,  which  is  detached  from  the 
house.  In  such  a  case,  it  is  more  difficult  to  obtain  the  neces 
sary  motive  power  for  successful  ventilation,  but  as  the  smoke- 
flue  from  the  kitchen  might  be  led  sufficiently  near  to  the  house 
to  permit  the  erection  of  a  lofty  shaft  for  the  especial  purpose  of 
drawing  off  its  foul  air,  the  same  principle  can  be  employed. 
The  air-ducts  cannot  be  led  to  the  kitchen  if  detached,  on 
account  of  the  almost  impossibility  of  drawing  air  without  an 
immense  force  in  a  horizontal  direction,  but  the  hot  escaping  air 
from  the  fire-place  can  more  easily  be  led,  and  if  the  shaft  be 
lofty  (which  some  such  feature  as  a  tower  or  corner  turret  would 
allow  it  to  be)  and  its  top  be  terminated  with  one  of  Janes'  most 
powerful  ejectors,  there  will  be  little  difficulty  in  obtaining  the 
motive  force  requisite. 

A  very  simple  means  of  ventilating  a  room  only  occasionally 
used,  is  by  placing  a  lighted  lamp  in  an  ordinary  flue,  providing 
the  aperture  with  one  of  Arnott's  valves  to  prevent  downward 
draught.  The  heated  air  from  the  combustion  of  the  lamp  will 
produce  an  upward  current,  and  thus  ventilate  the  room  without 
in  any  way  producing  increase  of  temperature  by  the  burning  of 
the  lamp. 


52  RURAL    HOMES. 

I  have  contrived  a  little  apparatus  for  this  purpose — of  which 
the  following  is  a  description. 

The  whole  apparatus  is  comprised  in  a  metal  screen,  intended 
to  supply  the  place  of  an  ordinary  fire-board  at  such  times 
when  the  grate  is  not  used.  The  lower  portion  is  open,  for 
the  escape  of  the  foul  air  from  the  floor  of  the  room,  and 
above  is  a  door,  inside  of  which  on  a  small  shelf  is  the  lamp. 
This  lamp  can  be  made  to  burn  camphene,  lard  oil,  or  any 
cheap  combustible,  as  the  formation  of  the  trumpet-shaped 
tube  or  chimney  which  encloses  it,  is  such  as  to  prevent  car 
bonization.  When  shut,  the  lamp  is  covered  above  the  flame 
with  a  metal  trumpet-shaped  funnel,  opening  as  wide  as  the 
flue  will  permit  at  its  mouth,  and  reduced  to  four  inches 
diameter  above,  extending  up  the  flue  at  least  one  foot  above 
the  height  of  the  room.  The  radiated  heat  from  this  would 
suffice  to  give  motion  to  the  column  of  air  within  the  flue, 
and  a  cap  at  its  top  would  secure,  with  this  little  machine,  a 
perfect  and  always  reliable  ventilation.  Near  the  ceiling,  into 
the  same  flue  is  an  aperture  furnished  with  Arnott's  valve  for 
escape  of  warm  air  from  the  upper  portion  of  the  room.  The 
tube  within  the  flue  need  not  be  removed  at  any  season,  as  it 
would  not  interfere  with  the  draught  of  any  grate  or  stove  that 
in  winter  might  be  used,  but  would  rather  increase  it ;  the  lower 
portion  of  the  funnel,  which  could  be  made  in  a  length  of  three 
feet,  might  easily  be  detached  and  connected  when  required. 
Tiiis  apparatus  can  be  supplied  by  Janes,  Beebe  &  Co.  of  New 
York,  or  ordered  through  the  Messrs.  Bern  an,  and  its  cost  need 
not  exceed  twenty-five  dollars. 

It  is  very  necessary  to  the  comfort  of  a  home  that  the  kitchen 
should  be  thoroughly  ventilated ;  and  though  my  readers  r,i!l  see, 


HEATING    APPARATUS.  53 

from  what  I  have  said,  that  this  room  may  be  more  readily 
purified  than  any  other,  they  will  agree  with  me  in  condemning 
the  want  of  attention  that  has  so  often  permitted  a  nuisance, 
from  escaped  effluvia  of  cooking,  that  might  so  easily  have  been 
avoided. 

A  ventilating  flue  should  be  provided,  not  only  in  the  kitchen 
itself,  but  in  the  vestibule,  hall,  or  pantry,  connecting  it  with  the 
main  body  of  the  house,  and  the  store-room,  vegetable-room, 
larder,  and,  of  course,  bathing-rooms,  etc.,  should  each  have  an 
air-duct  for  supply  and  escape. 

Chambers  immediately  under  the  roofs  of  country  houses 
are  frequently  rendered  scarcely  habitable,  in  consequence  of  the 
heat. 

This  excessive  heat  may  be  greatly  lessened  by  making  a 
double  roof ;  that  is,  by  furring  out  a  space  all  over  the  roof, 
from  the  under  side  of  the  rafters  to  the  line  of  the  ceiling. 
This  space,  say  of  about  a  foot  deep,  would,  if  made  perfectly 
tight,  afford  a  receptacle  for  a  stratum  of  dead  air,  than  which 
a  more  perfect  non-conductor  cannot  be  found.  External  heat 
could  not  penetrate  through  this  double  roof,  and  in  cold 
weather,  internal  warmth  would  not  be  lessened  by  contact 
with  the  cold  inner  surface  of  the  roof. 

Houses  artificially  heated,  are  usually  supplied  either  with 
hot-air  furnaces,  of  which  there  are  several  kinds,  by  steam, 
or  by  hot  water. 

Heating  by  means  of  hot-water  apparatus  is  deservedly  at 
tracting  great  attention  now,  and  when  constructed  on  scien 
tific  principles  and  the  radiating  surface  is  sufficient  (the  want 
of  this  being  the  common  fault),  is  an  agreeable,  healthy,  and 


34  RURAL    HOMES. 

economical  method,  and  one  I  would,  from  experience,  recom 
mend  in  preference  to  any  other. 

There  are  many  machines  for  effecting  this  end  before  the 
public,  but  I  have  rarely  found  that  the  pretensions  of  tlio 
greater  number  have  been  justified  by  their  Actual  operation. 

An  Italian  villa  erected  in  Connecticut  from  my  designs,  was 
provided  with  a  ventilating  and  heating  apparatus  in  which 
hot  water  was  used,  which,  after  a  trial  of  eighteen  months, 
has  given  such  entire  satisfaction,  that  I  am  induced  to  make 
mention  of  it  here,  particularly  as  its  manufacturers,  Janes, 
Beebe  &  Co.,  of  New  York,  have  so  distinguished  a  reputation, 
I  can  refer  to  their  work  without  incurring  any  suspicion  of 
intention  to  "  puff." 

The  building  has  a  frontage  of  nearly  ninety  feet,  is  built 
of  brick  and  stone,  and  upon  a  somewhat  exposed  situation ; 
every  room  is  ventilated  and  most  pleasantly  warmed,  by  a 
heat  which,  though  capable  of  increase  to  almost  any  degree, 
is  yet  so  soft  as  neither  to  warp  the  wood-work  of  the  building 
nor  the  furniture,  and  is  produced  by  an  expenditure  of  fuel 
so  trifling,  as  would  surprise  those  who  are  accustomed  to  the 
hot-air  furnaces  in  ordinary  use.  The  working  of  this  apparatus 
is  the  subject  of  praise  from  all  who  have  witnessed  it,  and  it 
has  now  been  in  action  sufficiently  long  to  thoroughly  test  its 
merits: 

In  another  chapter,  before  closing  this  little  treatise  on  Rural 
Homes,  I  shall  detail  at  length  the  peculiarities  of  this  ap 
paratus,  and  recur  to  the  subject  of  ventilation  and  of  heating. 
At  present,  I  wish  merely  to  say  just  so  much  on  the 
general  principles  of  the  former,  as  will  enable  my  readers  to 
understand  the  allusions  made  here  and  there  in  subsequent 


HEATING    AND    VENTILATION. 


portions  of  the  book  ;  —  thinking,  too,  that  ventilation  is  so  im 
portant  a  means  of  attainment  of  comfort,  it  ought  to  bo 
thought  of  from  the  first,  so  that  the  "  home"  to  be  contrived 
may  be  "  both  a  warm  and  a  sweet  one." 


CHAPTEE  V. 

HOW  TO  BUILD  TO    SUIT    THE    LANDSCAPE EXAMPLES    OF  RURAL 

HOMES. 

THE  right  to  look  upon  beautiful  scenery,  is  a  privilege  all 
possess  in  common  :  those  whose  means  have  enabled  them  to 
claim  ownership  in  some  lovely  garden-spot  of  this  beautiful 
country,  have  no  right  to  mar  the  fair  harmony  of  nature  by  the 
intrusion  of  a  discord  of  their  own.  The  purchasers  of  land 
therefore,  in  the  country,  cannot,  in  building  themselves  a  home, 
follow  the  bent  of  their  own  inclinations  so  entirely  as  many 
would  have  us  suppose.  A  man  has  no  right  to  disfigure  some 
noble  scene  by  an  unharmonious  dwelling :  how  often  this  has 
been  done,  those  who  have  rambled  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson 
(this  but  as  an  example  near  home)  can  testify.  Congruity  be 
tween  home  and  landscape  is  secured  by  no  necessarily  increased 
expenditure.  On  the  contrary,  those  buildings  of  most  economi 
cal  and  simple  character  generally  possess  the  charm  of  fitness 
which  costly  structures  attempt  in  vain. 

Undoubtedly,  the  excellence  and  charm  of  a  home  consist  in  the 
perfect  keeping  of  the  artificial  construction  with  the  natural 


SELECTION    OF    A    PLAN.  5*7 

objects  and  the  scenery  around.  The  uniform  Palladian  Villa, 
that  would  be  out  of  place  in  the  mountain  gorge,  or  beside  the 
rocky  glen  and  leaping  torrent,  will  be  perfectly  in  congruity 
with  broad  lawns,  grouped  trees,  smooth,  widely-stretching 
glades,  and  the  placid  lake.  This  perfect  congruity  between 
home  and  scenery  would  be  easy  of  attainment,  if  the  operations 
of  deciding  the  character  and  arrangement  of  the  building  were 
less  mechanical.  The  owner  of  the  ground  is  generally  content, 
if  the  builder  to  whom  he  shows  his  plans  tells  him  he  can 
deliver  to  him,  by  a  certain  day,  and  for  so  much  money,  a 
house  like  the  one  delineated.  How  have  these  plans  been  pro 
bably  obtained?  If  the  gentleman  or  lady  about  to  build 
possess  at  all  a  literary,  or  even  only  a  picture-book-loving  taste, 
some  "  Architectural  Design-Book  for  the  Million"  has  been 
turned  over,  and,  after  many  tea-table  discussions  upon  the 
merits  of  the  "  Swiss  Cottage"  style,  the  "  Anglo-Norman,"  the 
"  Etruscan,"  or  the  "  Castellated  Gothic,"  some  pretty  picture- 
house  has  been  selected.  Armed  with  that,  an  architect  from 
the  city  has  been  called  upon,  the  picture  shown  to  him,  the 
ground-plan  of  the  house  determined,  and,  finally,  a  "set  of 
drawings"  engaged  to  be  furnished  by  a  certain  day,  and  at  a 
stipulated  price. 

Probably  even  this  small  call  upon  professional  aid  would  not 
have  been  made,  had  not  the  builder  advised  to  get  some  "  archy- 
tect"  to  "  draft  the  plans,"  knowing  that  even  the  most  wretchedly 
slender  skeleton  of  a  plan,  if  framed  by  a  draughtsman,  will  be 
easier  to  work  from  than  the  artistic  performances  of  the  amateur 
employer.  The  architect  has  neither  a  voice  nor  an  interest  in 
the  matter — the  drawings  are  ordered  and  paid  for,  as  a  bale  of 
goods.  He  has  not  seen  the  spot  selected  for  the  building ; 
3* 


58  RURAL    HOMES. 

knows  nothing  of  the  tastes  or  habits  of  life  of  its  future  occu 
pants,  and  is  naturally  only  desirous  to  get  the  job  done  as 
quickly  as  possible,  knowing,  by  past  experience,  that,  should  he 
venture  any  departure  from  the  instructions  given  him — however 
essential  they  may,  to  his  cultivated  judgment,  seem — the  draw 
ings  will  probably  be  returned  to  him  for  correction,  and  his 
labor  lost.  How  tame,  common-place,  and  unsuitable  the  build 
ing  must  be  when  erected,  my  readers  will  be  able  to  judge. 
What,  then,  should  be  done  ? 

The  building  should,  even  to  its  minutest  detail,  be  studied 
and  determined  on  the  spot ;  and  an  architect  who  has  the 
interests  of  his  noble  science  at  heart,  will  always  insist  upon  the 
necessity  for  this  very  first  step.  Both  the  architect  and  the 
contemplator  of  the  building  must  be  guided  by  such  simple 
rules  as  I  will  here  attempt  to  state.  Endeavor  first  to  be  im 
pressed  with  the  suggesting  influences  of  the  spot.  If  the  range 
of  vision  be  limited,  the  scenery  quiet,  and  possessing  a  self- 
contained  charm  of  beauty  or  grandeur  complete  in  itself,  the 
character  of  the  house  may  be  left  more  to  the  bent  of  the 
owner's  taste,  than  were  the  building  a  prominent  feature  in  an 
extended  range  of  landscape — a  connecting  link  in  the  chain  of 
beauties  around.  If  the  first  be  the  case,  the  house — governed, 
however,  by  certain  rules — may  be  more  fancifully  developed, 
more  profuse  in  details,  and  more  whimsical,  than  in  a  situation 
like  the  latter.  There  every  outline  must  accord  with  the  pre 
vailing  character  of  the  natural  forms  around,  and  the  details 
and  architectural  features  must  be  bolder,  more  marked  and 
expressive,  in  order  to  be  defined  by  the  eye  that  views  them 
after  a  scale  formed  upon  the  bold  fragments  of  nature's  archi 
tecture.  These  considerations  are  the  text  from  which  all  rules 


CHOICE    OF    STYLE.  59 

for  the  choice  of  styles  may  be  deduced.  General  outlines  and 
effects,  rather  than  minutiae  of  details,  are  to  be  studied,  to 
secure  congruity  between  art  and  nature  ;  the  niceties  of  parti 
cular  styles  are  only  to  be  so  attended  to  that  they  may  not 
conflict  with  the  first  great  truth  of  harmony  of  the  general 
masses.  Almost  any  style  may,  in  the  hands  of  a  master,  be 
made  suitable  for  a  given  location ;  and  there  are  few  modern 
styles  that  may  not  architecturally  be  moulded  to  the  require 
ments  demanded. 

So,  then,  I  come  once  more  to  a  definition  made  before,  that 
the  style  must  grow  out  of  the  circumstances  bearing  upon  the 
building,  upon  the  nature  of  the  materials,  the  peculiarities  of 
climate,  of  domestic  habits,  and,  above  all  things,  upon  the  pre 
vailing  influences  of  the  scenery  around.  In  high  mountain 
scenery,  where  the  outlines  of  the  forms  around  all  point  up 
wards,  and  shoot  into  pyramids  of  beauty  towards  the  skies,  the 
building,  in  its  lines,  must  not  contradict  this  tendency :  the 
prevalence  of  horizontal  lines  and  parallelisms  must  be  cautiously 
avoided,  and  the  style  chosen  must  be  such  as,  without  violation 
of  its  attributes,  will  permit  this  character.  Thus,  we  see,  in 
olden  times,  the  builders  on  the  plains  erected  flat-roofed,  widely- 
extended  dwellings,  with  row  upon  row  of  parallel  lines ;  but  in 
mountain  lands,  up  soared  the  gable,  and  high-pointed  pinnacle 
and  spire,  until  the  architect  seemed  emulous  of  soaring  aloft 
with  the  mountain  peaks  and  stately  hills. 

Let  me  now  sketch  a  scene  such  as  my  readers  will  be  able  to 
picture  before  them  without  any  effort.  Here  is  a  road  leading 
from  a  country  town.  At  a  distance  of  two  or  three  miles  from 
the  busy  market-place,  a  quiet  lane  leads  from  the  more  fre 
quented  public  road,  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  down  this  lane  wfl 


60  RURAL    FIOMES. 

will  enter  a  gate,  and  walk  upon  the  grass  within.  The  lane  we 
have  left  continues  its  winding  and  tree-shaded  course  to  a  bridge 
which,  half  a  mile  off,  stretches  across  the  stream  that  originally 
induced  the  settlers  to  choose  the  town  below,  where  its  waters 
flow  in  greater  volume,  as  their  site.  The  ground  is  tolerably 
level,  and  has  trees  scattered  here  and  there  ;  but,  as  is  generally 
the  case,  not  very  much  has  been  done  towards  its  cultivation. 
We  have  progressed  to  the  centre  of  a  field  of  about  ten  acres 
bounded  on  one  side  by  the  lane,  which  we  will  say  is  east ;  on 
the  north  by  a  row  of  trees,  that  divides  the  land  from  that  of 
the  neighbors ;  on  the  west  by  a  small  stream,  that  is  seeking 
the  river  below  ;  and  on  the  south  by  the  land  skirting  the 
river's  banks,  and  by  the  rising  country  and  hills  beyond.  There 
is  nothing  particular  about  the  place :  its  surface  is  undulated, 
and  the  scenery  and  distant  view  are  only  just  so  beautiful  as 
the  environs  of  every  town  will  show.  What  is  the  suggesting 
influence  of  the  place  ?  Simply,  quiet  occupancy ;  the  more 
exalting  influences  must  be  induced  by  the  home  itself.  In  my 
first  introduction  to  you,  dear  readers,  I  sketched  the  preliminaries 
I  would  recommend  in  forming  a  home,  so  that  I  will  say  nothing 
about  pegging  out  the  house,  etc.,  but  will  try  and  describe 
the  building  that  will  best  suit  the  ground  that  we  have  ima 
gined. 

We  are  going  to  build  on  a  moderate  scale — say  five  thousand 
dollars  have  been  left,  after  purchasing  the  ten  acres  of  land — 
and  we  wish  to  make  that  sum  serve  to  complete  our  home  in 
every  particular,  excepting  inside  furniture  of  the  house.  Great 
care  and  economy  must  of  course  be  used ;  for  the  more  void  of 
particular  interest  the  site  appears,  the  greater  necessity  there  is 
to  avoid  an  appearance  of  baldness.  The  ontranro  upon  the 


FORM    OF    THE    BUILDING.  61 

ground  is  from  the  lane,  at  the  nearest  point  to  the  northern 
boundary  line.  All  I  would  do  at  present,  would  be  to  measure 
off  four  hundred  feet  south  of  said  line,  and  to  plough  up  a  strip 
thus  wide  from  east  to  west,  leaving  a  cart  road  close  to  the 
northern  boundary,  which  may  serve  as  approach  to  the  stable 
and  yard  which  will  terminate  the  strip  spoken  of  on  the  north 
west.  The  house  will  be  somewhat  exposed.  It  will  be  seen 
Tom  the  public  road  on  the  north  ;  though,  excepting  from  the 
upper  windows,  the  road  itself  will  not  be  commanded  from  the 
house.  It  will  also  be  seen  from  the  lane,  and  from  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river.  The  position  for  the  house  is  determined  to 
be  at  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from  the  lane,  there  being 
no  local  reasons  to  demand  placing  a  greater  distance  between, 
which  would  only  require  a  more  expensive  means  of  approach. 
The  sum  at  disposal  will  permit  a  building  of  comfortable  dimen 
sions  ;  its  form  on  the  ground  may  be  thus  arranged :  The 
main  portion — which  would  contain  a  library,  seventeen  feet  by 
fifteen  ;  a  drawing-room,  sixteen  by  twenty-five  ;  a  hall,  nine  feet 
wide  and  seventeen  long ; — would  make  a  block  thirty-six  feet 
south  by  twenty-seven  feet  east  and  west.  This  block  would  be 
carried  higher  than  the  wing,  containing  a  dining-room,  fifteen 
by  twenty  ;  a  small  boudoir,  or  morning-room,  ten  by  fourteen  ; 
a  staircase,  store-rooms,  pantries,  etc.,  and  a  commodious  kitchen, 
which  would  all  be  contained  in  a  block  thirty-six  by  thirty-four. 
These  dimensions,  which  include  thickness  for  walls,  chimneys, 
etc.,  enclose  an  area  of  about  two  thousand  feet,  and  the  division 
of  the  space  is  adjusted  so  as  to  afford  the  most  economical  form 
for  erection. 

The  plan  here  given  represents  the  arrangement  of  the  rooms 


C2 


RURAL    HOMES. 


upon  the  ground  or  principal  floor,  No.  1  being  the  entrance  hall 
with  its  coat  closet  C. 


PLAN  1. 

2.  Is  the  library;  with  a  fire-proof  safe  inserted  in  the  wall, 
right  hand  of  the  fire-place. 

3.  The  drawing-room,  with  a  projecting  window  or  bay  on 
its  western  side. 

4.  The  dining-room,  with  sliding-doors  between  it  and  the 
drawing-room. 

5.  The  boudoir  or  morning-room  with  a  large  store-closet 


ARRANGEMENT    OF   THE   ROOMS.  63 

No.  9,  and  a  work  and  book-closet  in  the  other  end  of  the 
room. 

6.  Is  the  kitchen — on  one  side  of  which  is  a  screen  filled  with 
ground  glass  to  give  light  to  the  end  of  the  staircase-hall  and 
to  the  small  entry  leading  to  the  kitchen,  the  scullery  No.  7,  and 
the  store-room  No.  8. 

10.  Is  the  waiter's  pantry,  communicating  with  the  dining- 
room,  and  furnished  with  a  sliding  opening  into  the  kitchen  for 
the  serving  and  removal  of  dishes.  Within  this  pantry  is  a  large 
china  and  plate  closet  conveniently  placed  and  adequately 
lighted. 

The  staircase  is  in  the  inner  hall,  leading  from  the  main 
entrance  towards  the  domestic  offices,  and  is  privately  and  con 
veniently  placed.  The  back  or  servants'  stairway  leads  from  the 
scullery. 

Round  three  sides  of  the  house  stretches  a  veranda  twelve 
feet  wide,  breaking  round  the  bay-window  on  the  western  side 
and  stopping  against  the  dining-room,  so  as  to  extend  to  one  of 
its  French  windows. 

The  chamber  floor  is  thus  distributed  :  The  staircase  lands 
first  upon  the  lower  level  over  the  dining-room,  kitchens,  etc., 
which  are  not  as  high  as  the  rooms  in  the  main  body  of  the 
house ;  it  then  ascends  a  few  steps  and  opens  into  an  octagonal 
vestibule  lighted  by  an  opening  filled  with  stained  glass  in  the 
attic  floor,  immediately  over  which  is  a  skylight  in  the  roof. 

No.  1.  Is  a  large  chamber,  sixteen  by  twenty-five,  over  the 
drawing-room,  so  large  as  to  allow  of  division  if  necessary,  the 
partition  extending  to  one  of  the  mullions  of  the  window  on  the 
western  side,  and  enclosing  a  convenient  dressing  room.  In  this 
room  is  a  very  large  closet  at  its  northern  end. 


64 


RURAL    HOMES. 


No.  2.  Is  a  chamber,  same  size  as  library  below,  provided  with 
two  closets,  one  of  large  size,  and  connected  with  it  as  a  dressing- 
room  or  child's-roorn,  No.  3. 


PLAN  2. 

No.  4.  Is  a  large  chamber  over  dining-room,  with  a  dressing- 
room  or  child's  sleeping-room,  No.  5.  This  room  is  provided 
with  a  very  large  closet  in  its  southern  end,  and  under  the  closet 
next  to  it,  which  opens  into  room,  No.  1,  is  a  space  formed  by 
the  different  levels  of  the  floors  of  the  two  rooms,  which  might 
very  advantageously  be  occupied  by  deep  drawers  for  linen,  etc. 

No.  6.  Is  a  servants'  sleeping-room  over  kitchen,  with  a  deep 
closet  therein. 

No.  7.  Is  what  might  advantageously  be  used  as  the  nursery, 


ARRANGEMENT    OF    THE    ROOMS.  65 

containing  a  fire-place,  and  an  inner  room,  No.  8,  which  might 
serve  as  a  sleeping-room  for  the  nurse,  or  as  a  dressing-room  if 
No.  7  be  used  as  a  chamber.  Near  to  No.  8,  in  the  vestibule 
leading  from  the  back  staircase,  is  a  large  linen-closet  for  the  use 
of  the  housemaid. 

No.  9.  Is  a  pleasant  room  containing  bathing  apparatus, 
which,  being  so  near  the  kitchen  range,  could  easily  be  supplied 
with  hot  water  at  very  little  expense.  A  water-closet  is  con 
veniently  close,  and  yet  separately  entered,  as  being  more  com 
modious  for  use. 

The  entry  by  the  back  staircase  might  be  lighted  from  the 
roof,  though,  as  the  window  on  the  staircase  opens  immediately 
upon  the  centre  of  the  passage,  the  amount  of  light  would  pro 
bably  be  found  sufficient. 

In  the  roof  over  the  main  part  of  the  house,  an  additional 
sleeping-room,  or  even  two  or  three  might  be  contrived  for  ser 
vants,  and  in  the  open  garret  over*  the  wing  a  drying-room  could 
readily  be  obtained. 

By  looking  at  the  plans,  the  whole  arrangement  of  the  interior 
of  this  house  will  easily  be  understood ;  the  exterior  is  repre 
sented  in  the  illustration  a  few  pages  back.  The  elevation  is 
that  of  the  eastern  front,  and  the  design  is  delineated  geometri 
cally  instead  of  in  perspective,  in  order  to  give  a  more  useful 
representation  of  the  character  of  its  architecture. 

On  looking  at  the  illustration  it  will  be  seen  that  one  por 
tion  of  the  house  is  much  higher  than  the  other.  This  is 
caused  by  the  superior  elevation  of  the  rooms  in  the  main 
portion  of  the  house,  their  height  being  as  follows:  Rooms 
1,  2.  3,  are  each  twelve  feet  six  inches  high  from  floor  to  ceiling, 
and  the  other  portion  of  the  house  but  eleven  feet.  In  the 


66  RURAL    HOMES. 

floor  above  1,  2,  3,  are  eleven  feet  high,  and  the  rest  ten  feet 
high.  In  the  main  portion  of  the  house  also,  the  walls  are 
carried  above  the  ceiling-line  over  chambers  three  feet  high  all 
round,  so  as  to  form  a  half  attic,  making  a  good  deal  of  avail 
able  room  in  the  roof,  and  a  cooler  and  more  easily  ventilated 
building. 

The  veranda  is  twelve  feet  and  a  half  high  where  it  comes 
against  the  wall,  and  drops  to  eleven  feet  three  inches,  making 
a  slope  of  fifteen  inches  in  its  entire  width  on  the  under  side. 
The  rake  of  its  roof  outside  would  be  greater,  the  rafters  being 
deeper  against  the  walls  than  at  their  feet,  a  mode  of  framing 
which  is  lighter  and  may  be  made  more  pleasing  in  effect. 

The  roof  of  the  main  building  is  hipped  each  way  towards 
the  stack  of  chimneys  in  the  centre.  It  projects  over  the  walls 
four  feet,  and  is  supported  by  brackets.  The  roof  over  the 
wing  is  also  hipped  on  its  northern  side,  and  projects  two  feet 
on  the  east  and  west,  and  three  feet  on  its  northern  end. 

Thus  far  I  have  given  the  general  distribution  of  the  parts  of 
the  house,  and  the  external  features  of  its  design — I  will  presently 
describe  them  in  detail,  after  I  have  endeavored  to  give  the 
reasons  that  induce  the  selection  of  a  particular  character  or 
style. 

The  nature  of  the  sceneiy  is  simply  rural.  The  features  are 
not  marked  or  bold ;  the  lines  are  mostly  parallel,  though  the 
surface  occasionally  undulates ;  the  house,  therefore,  to  harmonize 
with  it,  must  be  simple,  rather  regular  than  picturesque ;  must 
seem  stable  and  permanently  fixed  upon  the  ground;  every 
accessory  must  be  fitting  ;  and  although,  if  the  means  permitted, 
ornamental  construction  would  be  perfectly  admissible,  the 
general  contour  of  the  building,  of  the  details  or  the  masses  of 


DETAILS    OF    THE    EXTERNAL    FEATURES.  67 

decoration,  must  be  such  as  not  to  disturb  the  eye,  or  break  the 
simple  charm  of  quiet,  unobtrusive  beaut}7".  The  vicinity  of  the 
building  to  a  town,  the  small  means  allowed  for  expenditure, 
and,  we  will  say,  the  readiness  with  which  the  material  can  be 
obtained,  determine  the  selection  of  brick  as  the  substance  of 
which  the  house  shall  be  principally  built ;  and  as  the  use  of 
this  material  obliges  the  necessity  of  a  simple,  regular  plan,  and 
uniform  outline,  we  will  conclude  to  adopt  a  building  in  the 
modern  Italian  style  as  our  type  for  erection. 

I  will  first  detail  the  entrance,  or  eastern  front.  The  hall 
doors  should  be  simple,  heavy  doors,  divided  down  the  middle, 
and  each  half,  say  two  feet  three  inches  wide.  On  each  side  are 
side  windows,  and  a  transom  window  across  the  top.  This 
arrangement  I  prefer  to  making  the  doors  themselves  sash- 
doors  filled  in  with  glass.  The  latter  look  a  little  more  stylish, 
but  are  more  easily  broken  by  a  sudden  slam-to  from  gusts 
of  wind.  These  windows,  especially  those  at  the  top,  should  be 
made  to  open,  in  order  to  secure  a  circulation  of  air  without 
the  necessity  of  constantly  open  doors. 

The  eastern'  window,  under  the  veranda,  from  the  library, 
should  be  a  French  window,  closing  in  the  middle,  and  either 
hung  upon  hinges  or  made  to  slide  into  the  walls  on  either 
side.  If  hinged  in  the  ordinary  manner,  take  care  to  direct 
your  carpenter  to  provide  Woodbridge's  Patent  Weather-Strip, 
which  will  not  only  make  them  tight  at  bottom,  and  exclude 
all  dust,  wind,  and  most  driving  storms,  but  will  make  them 
more  easily  opened  and  closed,  from  the  simplicity  and  dura 
bility  of  the  apparatus  that  both  fastens  and  protects  them. 
Over  this  window,  another  would  be  required  in  the  chamber 


08  RURAL    HOMES. 

of  the  floor  above,  and  another  orer  the  hall.  These  windows 
may  be  as  simple  as  you  please. 

Above  them  again,  I  would  make  a  small  semicircular  break 
in  the  line  of  the  roof,  running  over  a  circular  window  which 
would  give  light  to  the  attic ;  this  window  is  placed  in  the 
centre  of  the  main  building. 

Here,  with  the  kitchen  buildings,  stretching  out  north,  and  of 
course  of  a  lower  elevation,  are  all  the  features  we  have  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  house ;  now  let  us  see  what  can  be  done  with 
them,  to  obtain  the  desired  effect. 

In  the  first  place,  we  will  settle  the  character  of  the  veranda, 
which  we  can  now  do,  having  grounds  to  go  upon.  The  building 
being  necessarily  regular  and  of  even  surface,  from  the  nature  of 
the  material,  a  rough,  rustic  veranda  would  be  out  of  keeping, 
as  would  also  be  a  classic  colonnade,  or  a  light  trellis  work.  The 
posts  supporting  its  roof  may  be  thus  made.  Put  together 
studs,  two  inches  by  three,  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  around  a 
centre  stud,  four  inches  square ;  the  outer  studs  to  be  furnished 
with  cut  brackets  at  top  and  bottom,  extending  say  four  inches 
at  the  bottom  and  six  at  the  top,  so  as  to  form  caps  and 
bases,  and  the  edges  to  be  chamfered  off  until  within  three 
or  four  inches  of  the  top  and  bottom.  The  cornice  of  the 
roof  to  be  very  simple,  consisting  of  a  fascia,  and  above  that 
a  heavy  roll  moulding,  and,  if  means  will  afford,  to  be  enriched 
with  brackets.  The  roof  to.  be  covered  with  metal  or  shingles, 
and  the  under  side  to  show  the  rafters,  and  to  be  ceiled  above 
them,  and  not  straight  across.  These  posts  would  be  so  arranged 
as  not  to  come  in  the  way  of  windows  in  the  rooms,  and  might 
be  placed  in  pairs,  close  together,  and  each  pair  about  nine 
feet  from  the  next.  Where  the  veranda  runs  around  the  bay- 


DETAILS    OF   THE    EXTERNAL   FEATURES.  69 

window  in  the  drawing-room,  on  the  western  side,  the  space 
above  would  afford  a  good  opportunity  for  a  balcony  entered 
from  the  chamber  floor,  which  might  again  be  protected  by  a 
light  roof,  supported  on  brackets,  over  the  window  leading  upon 
it.  Simply  directing  that  the  floor  of  the  veranda  would  look 
best  if  laid  in  narrow  strips  of  southern  yellow  pine,  oiled,  and 
that  some  of  the  beautiful  seats  procurable  at  the  Berrians' 
be  scattered  here  and  there,  I  shall  not  have  occasion  to  refer 
to  this  portion  of  the  building  again. 

The  roof  needs  very  simple  treatment  in  order  to  secure  a 
desirable  effect.  The  chimneys  in  the  main  house  are  gathered 
exactly  into  its  centre,  around  a  ventilating  discharging  flue, 
which  may  be  terminated  with  an  ejector,  as  described  in  the 
preceding  chapter  on  ventilation.  The  projecting  cornice  of  the 
roof  will  be  supported  by  blocks  following  its  rake  and  surround 
ing  the  foot  of  each  rafter.  These  blocks,  in  fact,  would  be 
formed  by  casing  out  the  feet  of  the  rafters  to  about  eight  by 
six,  and  by  cutting  them  at  the  ends  into  the  form  of  the  letter 
S,  (as  described  in  chapter  iii.)  The  cornice  to  be  nothing  more 
than  a  heavy  roll  moulding  containing  the  gutter,  and  of  the 
simplest  character. 

A  good  effect  may  be  given  to  all  of  the  windows  in  building 
the  walls,  by  making  a  projecting  face  of  two  inches  thick  and 
one  foot  wide,  all  round  the  opening,  resting  on  the  stone  sill 
below  the  window;  this  face,  however,  would  be  only  in  the 
way  if  outside  shutter  blinds  were  used ;  but  as  the  manner  in 
which  I  have  in  a  former  chapter  directed  brick  walls  to  be 
built,  namely,  hollow,  would  allow  of  blinds  to  slide  right  and 
left,  I  suggest  this  mode  of  finish,  and  advise  that  the  blinds 
should  be  made  inside,  and  to  slide. 


70  RURAL    HOMES. 

We  have  now  before  us  all  the  outside  features  of  the  house 
— the  building  is  simply  treated — breadth  of  effect  has  been 
gained  by  the  avoidance  of  all  obtrusive  features,  and  the  charac 
ter  of  the  home  is  perfectly  congruous  with  that  of  the  land 
scape.  The  quiet  tone  of  coloring  that  pervades  the  natural 
objects  around  will  best  be  harmonized  with  by  painting  the 
brickwork  of  the  house  with  a  warm,  gray  sanded  paint,  as 
spoken  of  before,  and  by  giving  to  the  wood-work  a  more  lively 
tint,  marking  the  difference  of  "the  materials  without  producing 
too  violent  a  contrast. 

The  wing  containing  the  offices  and  rear  buildings,  must  of 
course  be  of  the  same  character  as  the  mam  house ;  the  roof 
and  cornice  similar  in  treatment,  though  subordinate  in  design. 
The  stabling,  barns,  etc.,  should  also  present  the  same  character 
of  finish,  though  only  where  such  finish  is  essential,  and  not 
merely  ornamental.  The  barn,  etc.,  may  be  built  of  wood — the 
planking  at  the  sides  perpendicular,  and  the  joints  -covered  with 
battens,  the  roof  projecting,  but  without  any  cornice,  the  rafters 
being  cut  at  the  ends  into  the  form  of  an  S. 

Now,  I  have  given  the  house  and  all  its  details,  and  in  sketch 
ing  them  have  thought  of  the  nature  of  the  scenery  that  sur 
rounds,  let  us,  dear  reader,  walk  down  the  lane,  arid  see  how 
such  a  house  deserves  the  character  of  a  home  ;  how  it  will  meet 
the  requirements  I  have,  from  the  first  insisted,  constitute  tho 
claim  to  that  title.  We  open  a  substantial  gate,  heavily  framed, 
and  its  timbers  chamfered,  and  walk  towards  the  house.  Its 
view  is  at  first  concealed  by  a  belt  of  shrubs  and  trees,  around 
which  the  road  makes  a  slight  detour.  As  we  walk  on,  its  front 
opens  out  upon  our  sight,  cheerful,  light,  and  yet  massive,  like 
the  stately  trees  and  sturdy  hills  around.  We  step  upon  the 


EXTERNAL    VIEW.  l 

veranda ;  and  as  we  take  a  seat  beneath  its  shade,  a  peep 
through  a  window  discloses  a  cheerful  room,  fair,  not  fine  within. 
Seated  in  our  chairs,  we  look  down  the  green  grassy  meadow, 
sloping  towards  the  boundary  dividing  us  from  our  neighbor's 
lands  on  the  south ;  and  we  notice  how,  by  means  of  a  sunk 
fence,  and  by  the  skilful  planting  of  a  few  trees  here  and  there, 
similar  in  character  to  those  beyond,  we  have  connected  his 
grounds  with  ours,  and  how,  without  robbing  him  of  a  single 
acre,  we  have  increased  our  sense  of  occupancy,  in  looking 
around.  A  few  sheep  are  quietly  grazing,  and  birds  are  hopping 
about  near  the  house,  and  twittering  as  they  light  upon  a  crumb 
or  an  earth-worm ;  the  stream  is  heard  fitfully  in  the  distance 
as  the  soft  wind  comes  and  goes,  and  all  we  see  and  hear  in 
creases  our  sense  of  simple  beauty  and  quiet  enjoyment. 

Stepping  out  upon  the  lawn,  we  turn  and  look  upon  the 
house.  The  broad  veranda  seems  like  a  base  to  the  building, 
and  gives  massiveness  and  apparent  firmness  to  its  foothold  upon 
the  ground,  equally  as  it  imparts  lightness  and  variety  to  its 
outline.  The  overshadowing  roof,  with  its  varied  light  and 
shade,  seems  a  fitting  finish  to  the  building ;  and  the  leading 
parallel  lines  of  the  veranda  are  reproduced  in  its  unbroken 
horizontal  line  of  cornice,  and  in  the  uniform  elevation  of  the 
windows.  There  is  a  peculiar  stamp  of  fitness  upon  the  whole ; 
and  the  building  and  the  grounds,  the  natural  objects  and  the 
result  of  art,  are  in  perfect  congruity,  and  their  union  produces 
a  sense  of  that  most  charming  of  all  excellencies — home- 
beauty. 

In  this  ideal  scene  I  have  thus  erected  a  house,  which  may  be 
found  to  contain  elements  useful  to  those  who  desire  to  construct 
a  house  of  about  the  size  and  character  of  this  for  themselves. 


72  RURAL    HOMES. 

The  simplicity,  economy,  and  convenience  that  I  have  attempted 
to  embody  therein,  would  probably  make  it  favorably  received 
by  many,  and  if  the  scenery  or  the  circumstances  any  where  be 
identical  with  tlfose  I  have  described,  the  fac-simile  copy  of  this 
design  might  perhaps  with  advantage  be  made.  The  cost  of 
construction  would  certainly  not  exceed  four  thousand  dollars, 
leaving  one  thousand  for  the  out-buildings,  gates,  and  fences, 
thus  appropriating,  as  I  at  first  supposed,  five  thousand  dollars 
to  the  erection  of  a  country  home. 


I  will  now  take  another  scene,  and  sketch  therein  another  class 
of  home. 

Near  a  small  country  village,  a  road  leads  from  its  main 
street,  screened  on  either  side  by  trees  from  the  sun,  and  slightly 
undulating  in  surface,  giving  here  and  there  a  pleasant  glimpse 
of  landscape,  varied  in  beauty  and  extent.  Here  and  there 
along  this  road  are  homes  of  the  village  gentry,  and  those  fami 
lies  of  more  wealth  and  leisure,  whom  love  of  the  country,  and 
the  convenient  contiguity  of  the  village  to  the  town  wherein  the 
gentlemen  are  professionally  employed,  have  caused  to  select  this 
neighborhood  as  their  place  of  abode. 

The  class  of  house,  of  even  the  wealthy,  has  hardly  attained 
the  dignity  of  the  Suburban  Villa,  nor  has  it  the  wide  stretch 
and  informal  arrangements  of  the  genuine  country  house.  The 
legitimate  cottage  seems  the  proper  model  for  such  a  house — 
not  the  modern,  pert,  and  inconvenient  structure  filled  with  odd 
corners  and  all  sorts  of  vulgar  prettinesses ;  but  the  "  little  house" 
— the  true  synonyme  of  the  word  cottage. 

Tn  the  State  of  Connecticut,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  tb  • 


Ill     > 


DESCRIPTION    OF    A    COTTAGE    HOME.  73 

village  town  of  East  Hartford,  leads  a  road  nobly  shaded  with 
spreading  trees,  and  on  either  side  are  such  residences  as  I  have 
spoken  of.  Amid  a  beautiful  orchard,  and  backed  by  shade 
trees,  stands  a  cottage  home,  erected  two  years  ago  from  my 
designs,  for  a  gentleman,  who  finds  himself  so  entirely  satisfied 
with  its  arrangements,  and  is  so  proud  of  its  picturesque  ap 
pearance,  I  will  close  this  chapter  by  giving  a  description.  The 
building  is  framed  of  wTood — has  a  high  pitched  roof,  and  is 
substantially  and  thoroughly  built.  A  large  cellar  of  brick  runs 
under  the  whole  house,  extending  even  under  the  verandas,  thus 
making  the  building  at  all  seasons  thoroughly  dry,  and  in  the 
summer  pleasantly  cool.  The  occupant  of  the  house,  Mr.  Henry 
Olmsted,  required  a  building  half  farm-house,  half  residence — 
with  rooms  spacious,  and  entries  convenient  both  to  the  domestic 
offices  and  to  the  residence  part  of  the  house ;  a  sort  of  two 
buildings  under  one  roof — a  style  of  house  in  very  frequent  de 
mand  in  the  country. 

The  illustration  shows  a  perspective  sketch  from  the  south 
east,  taken  by  a  daguerreotype  from  the  building  itself. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  peculiar  feature  about  the  house  is 
the  extreme  projection  of  the  roof.  In  fact,  the  veranda  is 
shaded  by  the  main  roof  itself,  the  latter  being  supported  by 
framing  of  a  veiy  simple  and  effective  character  on  the  end, 
and  by  posts,  formed  of  studs  put  cross-way  together,  and  cut 
and  moulded  top  and  bottom,  at  the  sides.  The  sharp  gable 
over  the  side  is  framed  so  that  the  construction  shows  externally 
— this  being  no  sham,  but  the  actual  framing  of  the  roof  within, 
the  chamber  ceilings  of  that  part  of  the  house  being  lathed  upon 
the  curved  beams  that  support  the  roof.  The  sides  of  the  house 
are  planked,  and  their  joints  covered  with  battens,  the  roof  being 
4 


74  RURAL    HOMES. 

shingled.  The  heads  of  the  doors  and  windows  are  protected 
from  the  weather  by  moulded  labels,  upon  which  the  battens 
rest,  and  though  the  detail  about  the  building  is  very  effective, 
no  ornamental  work  is  any  where  introduced  which  does  not 
serve  some  constructive  purpose  of  design. 


The  plan  is  thus  arranged  :  A  veranda  floor  is  on  the  front 
and  two  of  the  sides,  shaded  by  the  overhanging  roof  above. 
The  house  is  entered  by  a  door  at  the  south-west  -  angle  ;  this 
leads  into  the  entrance  hall,  No.  2,  in  which  is  the  principal 
staircase  of  the  house. 


DESCRIPTION    OF   A    COTTAGE   HOME.  75 

On  the  right  is  a  sitting  room,  No.  1,  which  is  fifteen  feet  by 
seventeen  feet  six  inches.  From  the  hall  is  a  parlor,  No.  3,  six 
teen  by  nineteen,  in  which  is  a  large  bay-window,  and  of  which 
the  French  windows  open  upon  the  verandas  on  either  side. 
Behind  this,  communicating  with  the  sitting-room,  is  a  dining- 
room,  No.  4,  which  is  also  sixteen  by  nineteen,  and  opening  from 
which  is  a  large  store-room,  No.  Y,  fitted  with  shelves,  and  store, 
and  china,  and  glass-closets,  etc.  No.  5  is  a  large  kitchen, 
twenty-one  by  nineteen,  and  No.  6  is  the  scullery  and  sink-room. 
A  back  staircase  leads  up  to  the  floor  above,  as  shown  on  the 
plan,  and  on  each  side  of  it  are  large  closets,  one  into  the  par 
lor,  and  the  other  into  the  dining-room.  The  kitchen  has  a  door- 
window  on  its  western  side,  so  that  entrance  may  be  had  without 
going  through  the  house,  and  a  similar  door,  protected  by  a 
porch  on  the  northern  end  of  the  scullery,  which  leads  towards 
the  farm-yard.  The  rooms  on  this  floor  are  all  spacious,  their 
arrangement  has  been  found  extremely  convenient  by  the  occu 
pants,  and  the  plan  will  readily  make  it  intelligible. 

The  chamber  floor  is  similar  in  its  distribution  to  the  floor 
below.  No.  1  is  over  the  sitting-room.  No.  2,  over  the  parlor. 
No.  3,  over  the  dining-room.  No.  4,  a  large  chamber  over  the 
kitchen.  No.  5,  a  long  room  over  the  scullery,  etc.,  lighted  on 
the  east  by  a  dormer-window  on  the  roof.  There  are  large 
closets  in  Nos.  2,  3,  and  4,  and  a  large  additional  one  might  be 
made  from  No.  1,  over  the  entrance  hall,  unless,  like  Mr. 
Olmsted,  the  builder  preferred  the  open,  unobstructed,  and 
cheerful  light,  obtained  by  leaving  the  end  unoccupied.  In  a 
portion  of  No.  5,  a  bath-room  might  very  easily  be  partitioned 
off,  as  the  space  is  ample  to  allow  it,  and  the  nearness  to  the 


RURAL    HOMES. 


kitchen  below  would  permit  the  bathing  apparatus  to  be  sup 
plied  with  water  at  a  trifling  expense. 


PLAN  4. 

The  cost  of  this  house  may  be  stated  at  from  twenty-five 
hundred  to  three  thousand  dollars,  the  margin  being  left  for  the 
amount  of  labor  expended  on  the  outside  and  inside  finishings. 
As  erected  in  Connecticut,  its  cost  was  nearly  three  thousand 
dollars,  but  the  workmanship  and  materials  throughout,  were  all 
of  the  highest  quality,  and  the  extensive  cellaring  before  alluded 
to,  might  not  by  other  builders  be  deemed  necessary,  and  would, 
of  course,  if  curtailed,  reduce  the  expense. 

Its  picturesque  appearance  attracts   great  attention,  and  as 


DESCRIPTION    OF    A    COTTAGE    HOME.  77 

creepers  become  trained  upon  the  open  tracery  and  posts  of  the 
frame  in  front,  the  cheerful  aspect  of  its  southern  end  will  be 
greatly  improved. 

Its  style  is  Gothic — so  far  at  least  as  the  high  roofe,  the 
pointed  arches  of  the  tracery  in  front,  and  the  character  of  the 
labels  over  the  windows — determine  any  distinctive  style.  The 
whole  is  painted  a  deep  cream  color,  the  bold  projections  of  the 
roofs,  posts,  and  tracery,  casting  interlacing  lines  of  shadow  that 
vary  the  tint  most  beautifully,  and  for  which  reason  a  light  tone 
of  coloring  has  been  chosen.  These  effects  of  light  and  shade 
would  be  lost  if  a  darker  background  had  been  given  as  the 
color  of  the  house. 


CHAPTEK  YI. 

ACCOMMODATION  SUITED  TO  A  SHORT  SUMMER  RESIDENCE  IN  THE 
COUNTRY THE  SUMMER  LODGE. 

THERE  are  doubtless  other  scenes  than  those  outlined  in  the 
last  chapter,  which  might  advantageously  be  sketched,  and  the 
means  to  obtain  congruity  therewith  detailed ;  but  in  the  ex 
amples  given,  a  character  of  scenery  very  commonly  encountered, 
and  a  class  of  house  constantly  in  demand  having  been  con 
sidered,  I  propose  in  this  and  subsequent  chapters  to  select 
rather  buildings  not  so  usually  met  with,  hoping  that  the  designs 
given  may  prove  proportionately  more  valuable. 

There  are  homes  which  are  only  homes  of  a  season — homes 
no  less  dear  than  those  lived  in  at  all  times,  but  intended  only 
for  occupancy  during  such  portions  of  the  year  as  the  leisure  or 
the  taste  of  their  owners  will  permit.  Many  spend  the  winter 
in  the  city,  the  summer  in  the  country ;  and  a  home  suited  to 
summer  life  is  the  one  I  will  attempt  to  sketch  here.  The  house 
should  be  roomy — that  is,  the  limit  of  hospitable  accommodation 
having  been  set  according  to  the  means  of  the  owner — the 
rooms,  the  passages,  the  chambers,  and  the  domestic  offices, 


DESCRIPTION    OF    A    SUMMER   LODGE.  *79 

should  all  be  of  liberal  dimensions.  There  is  no  necessity  to  be 
cramped  in  the  country ;  and  a  house  with  a  few  but  large 
rooms  in  it  is  much  better  deserving  the  title  of  a  Summer 
Lodge  than  one  with  many  but  small  chambers.  It  should  be 
spread  upon  the  ground — rather  low  than  high,  with  spacious 
verandas,  and  with  shading  and  projecting  roofs.  The  hall 
should  be  roomy,  and  so  opened  in  the  house  as  to  be  used  as  a 
sitting  apartment,  its  position  always  at  some  portion  of  the  day 
making  it  cool  and  sheltered  from  the  sun.  The  staircase  should 
either  be  distinct  in  itself,  and  carried  up  independently  of  the 
house,  or  should  be  a  means  of  thorough  ventilation  to  the 
building  if  placed  in  a  more  central  position.  The  chambers 
should  be  especially  contrived  with  a  view  to  perfect  ventilation 
and  lowest  attainable  summer  temperature,  and  this  object  may 
be  assisted  by  a  means  which  perhaps  many  of  my  New  England 
readers  will  at  first  doubt — that  is,  by  having  as  few  windows  as 
possible.  The  more  glass  .there  is  in  a  room,  the  hotter  it  will 
be  in  sunshine.  Have  just  so  much  light  as  is  needed;  the 
position  of  the  window  or  windows,  and  the  use  of  other  means, 
will  secure  ventilation  and  coolness  more  effectually  than  win 
dows  on  all  sides,  as  I  have  seen.  So  much  by  way  of  preface 
for  the  inside — now  for  the  outside. 

Let  me  here  sketch  a  scene  that  I  have  often  studied,  and 
which  is  resembled,  no  doubt,  by  many  a  familiar  spot  in  the 
reach  of  most  of  my  readers. 

Little  more  than  fifty  miles  from  New  York,  away  from  rail 
roads  or  North  River,  and  yet  within  an  hour's  drive  of  either, 
is  an  inland  lake.  There  is  nothing  particularly  grand,  or  wild, 
or  beautiful  about  the  spot,  and  yet  it  has  a  charm  that  endears 
it  to  all  who  have  lingered  upon  its  margin.  The  sheet  of  water 


80  RURAL    HOMES. 

is  three  or  four  miles  long,  and  its  surface  is  broken  by  many 
rocky  and  tree-crowned  islands,  that  give  variety  and  increased 
extent  to  the  views  from  shore  to  shore.  The  margin  is  rocky, 
and  pretty  well  wooded ;  here  and  there  is  an  acre  or  two  of 
natural  lawn,  stretching  into  the  woods,  and  on  the  other  sides 
the  road,  in  points  nearly  touching  the  water,  and  again  hid 
from  view  by  an  avenue  of  trees,  winds  along.  But  few  houses 
are  in  its  vicinity — a  small  and  quiet  country  hotel,  a  store,  a 
wheelwright's  shop,  and  a  grist  mill,  the  wheel  of  which  is 
,  ..  uvd  by  the  overflow  of  the  lake,  are  all  that  mark  civilization 
and  man  around.  Its  level  is  very  high — so  high  as  to  be  a 
matter  of  curiosity,  increased,  too,  by  the  fact  that  on  one  side 
of  the  lake  a  narrow  ledge  of  rocks  separates  it  from  a  smaller 
pond,  which  is  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  below.  I  am  thus 
particular,  because,  doubtless,  many  of  my  readers  will  recognise 
the  description  of  the  lake,  and  will  be  able  to  tell  how  far 
the  house  I  am  going  to  sketch  would  be  suitable  upon  its 
banks. 

There  is  plenty  of  wood  around — much  that  would  make 
timber  for  building,  and,  at  all  events,  sufficient  to  justify  the 
use  of  timber  as  the  material.  The  character  of  the  scenery 
is  natural ;  wild,  without  being  grandly  magnificent ;  smooth 
spots  here  and  there,  suggestive  of  quiet,  effortless  cultivation ; 
and  the  massy  rocks  and  old  trees  seem  to  plead  that  no  pre 
tentious  modern  dwelling  be  allowed  to  thrust  its  tricksied  face 
for  reflection  upon  the  silver  lake  they  frame.  On  one  side  of 
the  lake,  the  rocks  and  trees  have  drawn  themselves  away,  and 
have  left  an  open  lawn  of  an  acre  or  more,  sloping  gently  to  the 
lake,  and  extending  along  its  bank  for  three  or  four  hundred 
feet;  then  come  rocks  again  on  either  side,  and  then  another 


DESCRIPTION    OF    A    SUMMER    LODGE.  81 

opening  or  two,  but  not  so  clear  as  the  larger  one,  which  will  be 
the  site  for  the  house.  As  far  back  from  the  water  as  the  space 
will  permit,  the  house  lifts  up  its  eastern  front.  The  entrance  is 
on  the  eastern  front,  and  the  kitchens  and  offices  stretch  towards 
the  north,  where  also  is  the  road  by  which  access  to  the  house 
can  be  gained.  The  southern  end  looks  across  a  varied  prospect 
of  rock,  and  tree,  and  glen,  parallel  to  the  winding  margin  of  the 
lake,  and  the  west  looks  upon  the  woods,  and  through  them 
upon  glimpses  of  noble  prospect  of  hill  and  other  distant  lakes, 
miles  and  miles  beyond ;  upon  this  side  the  trees  have  been 
cleared  away  just  sufficiently  to  make  a  little  parterre  and  a 
vegetable  garden,  a  small  dry  lawn,  and  a  shaded  walk,  and  the 
morning  of  a  hot  July  or  August  day  may,  on  this  side  of  the 
house,  be  passed  without  fear  of  sun  or  heat. 

The  ground  plan  here  given  will  fully  explain  the  internal 
arrangements  of  this  floor. 

The  entrance  is  in  the  centre  of  the  eastern  front.  A  recess 
covered  over  by  a  light  roof,  supported  upon  brackets,  will  allow 
a  carriage  to  drive  up  to  the  door  and  its  occupants  to  alight 
under  shelter.  The  hall,  No.  1,  which  is  so  large  as  to  admit  of 
being  used  as  an  occupied  apartment,  extends  throughout  the 
whole  space  between  the  two  wings  of  the  main  building,  and  is 
ten  feet  by  twenty-six.  At  its  one  end  are  sliding  doors  opening 
into  a  spacious  drawing-room,  thirty-three  feet  by  sixteen,  No.  2, 
a  truncated  bay-window  at  its  southern  side,  making  the  apart 
ment  of  pleasing  proportions.  In  front  of  the  hall  is  a  dining- 
room,  No.  3,  twenty-six  by  sixteen  feet,  and  communicating 
therewith  is  a  large  waiters'-pantry  under  the  staircase,  and  be 
yond  it  the  domestic  offices.  No.  4  is  a  library,  sixteen  feet  by 
fourteen,  with  a  projecting  window  in  its  eastern  side.  This 
4* 

V- 


82  RURAL    HOMES. 

room  would  scarcely  be  required  any  longer,  as  the  spacious 


I:  I- 


PLAN  5.— SUMMER  LODGI 


hall  would  afford  room  (if  more  be  needed)  for  recessed  book 
cases  and  niches  filled  with  old  china  or  honored  busts. 


DESCRIPTION    OF    A    SUMMER   LODGE.  83 

The  staircase  is  in  the  inner  hall,  No.  5,  and  is  of  ample  size 
and  grand  appearance.  No.  9,  is  a  vestibule  leading  towards  the 
kitchen  and  domestic  offices,  which  are  of  most  ample  dimen 
sions  and  convenient  arrangement,  and  are  distributed  as  follows  : 

No.  10  is  a  large  store-room,  to  be  filled  with  shelves  and 
presses  as  needed,  and  leaving  sufficient  space  for  occupancy  as 
a  morning  or  work-room,  a  fire-place  being  provided  "  against  a 
rainy  day."  No.  6,  under  the  staircase,  is  the  waiters'-pantry, 
and  in  drawing  the  working-plans  to  an  enlarged  scale,  provision 
could  easily  be  shown  for  coat,  and  hat,  and  shoe-closets,  etc., 
all  of  which  the  present  drawing  is  necessarily  too  minute  to 
exhibit  in  detail.  No.  7,  is  the  cooks'  serving-room,  communi 
cating  with  the  waiters'-pantry,  and  No.  8,  a  plate  and  china- 
closet  for  those  articles  in  daily  use.  The  position  of  the  back 
staircase  will  be  apparent  from  the  plan. 

No.  12,  is  the  kitchen,  communicating  with  which  the  servants' 
hall,  No.  11 — a  very  necessary,  though  not  usually  provided 
apartment.  No.  13,  is  a  scullery  and  sink-room,  opening  upon  an 
enclosed  back  porch,  No.  15,  by  a  door  in  the  end  of  its  inner 
side.  No.  14,  is  a  larder  and  kitchen  store-room,  and  No.  16  a 
laundry,  which  also  communicates  with  the  back  porch  and  with 
the  servants'  hall. 

These  domestic  offices  are  of  unusually  generous  dimensions 
and  variety,  but  in  the  hope  that  the  necessity  for  a  more  liberal 
accommodation  for  culinary  purposes  may  be  apparent  to  my 
readers,  I  have  made  this  summer  lodge  a  model  in  this  respect. 
I  would  in  this  connection  say,  that  the  plan  here  given  for  the  dis 
tribution  of  the  domestic  buildings  is  one  that  has  received  from 
me  long  study,  and  has  been  commended  by  very  many  competent 
judges.  In  Mr.  Downing's  country  houses,  a  standard  authority 


84  RURAL    HOMES. 

on  such  subjects,  especial  attention  has  been  called  to  a  somewhat 
similar  plan,  and  the  slight  changes  I  have  in  this  example  made 
from  the  design  published  in  that  excellent  book,  have  been 
determined  upon  from  the  desire  to  concentrate  th«  arrange 
ment  of  the  adjuncts  to  a  country  kitchen. 

The  ventilation  of  the  servants'  portion  of  the  house,  where 
other  than  the  usually  provided  circulation  of  air  by  doors  and 
windows,  might  readily  be  secured  by  the  construction  of  an  air- 
exhausting  shaft  at  the  back  of  the  kitchen  fire-place.  The  radi 
ated  heat  from  the  latter  would  cause  an  upward  motion  in  the 
column  of  air  within  the  shaft,  and  communication  having  been 
established  therewith  by  means  of  openings  provided  with  the 
Messrs.  Bemads  Ventilating  Valve,  all  impure  and  heated  air, 
together  with  effluvia  from  culinary  operations,  would  be  carried 
off. 

The  arrangement  of  the  chamber  floor  may  be  seen  by 
reference  to  the  chamber  plans. 

The  principal  staircase  lands  at  its  first  flight  upon  a  level  with 
the  floor  over  the  domestic  offices,  opening  upon  which  level  is 
the  back  staircase.  Then,  as  the  superior  height  of  the  rooms 
in  the  main  house  requires  a  rise  again  above  the  rooms  in  the 
wing,  a  flight  of  stairs  leads  up  to  the  floor  of  the  hall  and  the 
chambers  over  the  main  portion  of  the  house. 

The  staircase  is  very  roomy,  airy,  and  well  lighted,  and  would 
have  a  grand  and  imposing  appearance.  Through  an  open 
arch-way  leads  a  corridor  over  the  entrance  hall  below.  Out 
of  this  are  partitioned  off  small  rooms,  No.  -3  and  No.  7,  forming 
dressing-closets  to  the  chambers  with  which  they  connect.  In 
the  centre  of  this  corridor  a  large  space  is  left  which  would  per^ 
mit  a  pleasant  recess  for  sitting,  and  as  its  window  would  com- 


DESCRIPTION    OF    A    SUMMER    LODGE.  85 

mand  a  view  of  the  lake  below,  this  would  be,  particularly  in 
the  afternoons  and  evenings,  an  agreeable  spot  for  chit-chat  for 
the  ladies  of  the  house. 


CHAMBER. — PLAN  6. 

The  sleeping  apartments  are  all  spacious — so  spacious,  that  as 
dressing-rooms  are  plentifully  provided,  I  have  not  curtailed  their 


86  RURAL    HOMES. 

dimensions  with  partitions  for  closets,  preferring  in  this  case  that 
wardrobes  or  other  furniture  conveniences  be  made  their  substi 
tute.  No.  1  is  a  large  chamber,  sixteen  by  nineteen,  and  com 
municating  therewith  is  a  room,  No.  4,  which  might  as  occasion 
served,  be  used  either  as  its  dressing-room,  a  separate  chamber, 
or  as  a  dressing-room  to  chamber  No.  5.  No.  2  is  a  sleeping- 
room,  sixteen  by  fourteen,  communicating  with  which  is  a  light, 
airy  dressing-closet,  six  by  eight,  No.  3.  No.  5  is  provided  with 
a  closet,  gained  out  of  the  thickness  of  the  inner  wall  and  the 
projection  for  the  chimney-breast,  and  is  sixteen  by  fifteen. 
No.  6,  over  the  library,  is  sixteen  by  fourteen,  and  is  provided 
with  a  dressing-closet,  No.  7. 

The  position  of  the  doors,  windows,  fire-places,  etc.,  has  been 
especially  thought  of,  in  reference  to  the  convenient  placing  of  a 
bed  and  the  requisite  articles  of  furniture  usually  contained  in 
comfortable  sleeping  rooms. 

Over  the  domestic  offices,  in  the  wing,  are  the  following 
rooms : — 

No.  8,  entered  after  descending  a  wide  flight  of  stairs  in  a  cor 
ridor  lighted  from  above,  is  for  a  bathing  apparatus  and  a  water 
closet.  In  this  corridor  is  a  large  closet  for  the  use  of  the  house 
maids,  designated  by  the  letter  C  on  the  plan.  No.  10,  off  the 
back  staircase,  is  a  large,  well  lighted  linen  closet ;  and  Nos.  9 
and  11  are  servants'  sleeping  rooms,  each  one  provided  with  a 
spacious  closet. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  chamber  accommodation  is  upon  the 
most  liberal  scale ;  but  if  the  mode  of  life  of  its  occupants  de 
manded  it,  an  increased  number  of  rooms  might  be  gained  in 
the  attic,  the  height  and  pitch  of  the  roof  permitting,  in  its 
centre,  without  any  additional  increase  of  height  of  the  posts, 


RUSTIC    FURNITURE.  87 

several  rooms,  both  with  economy  and  advantage.  The  external 
appearance  of  such  a  house  should  be  simple,  rustic,  and  broad. 
The  character  of  the  exterior  must  be  suited  to  the  material. 
The  covering  should  be  plank,  put  perpendicularly,  and  secured 
with  battens.  The  roof  covered  with  shingles,  projecting  four 
feet  at  the  eaves  and  gables,  and  supported  by  simple  brackets, 
as  shown  in  the  perspective  sketch  at  the  commencement  of  the 
chapter. 

"Without  intending  to  cany  out  the  style  into  any  ornate 
excess,  I  would  suggest  a  modification  of  that  called  Gothic,  as 
appropriate  to  the  scenery  and  material.  The  gables  might  be 
relieved  by  showing  some  open  framing,  and  some  ornamental 
construction,  the  details  of  which,  however,  should  be  simple  and 
bold.  The  eaves  may  be  supported  by  simple  brackets,  follow 
ing  the  rake  of  the  roof,  and  resting  on  corbel  blocks,  and  a  string 
course,  against  which  the  upright  battens  may  terminate.  The 
windows  should  be  simply  square-headed,  with  mullions  in  each, 
dividing  the  aperture  into  openings  or  bays  ;  and  in  the  library 
I  would  make  a  projecting  bay-window  on  the  eastern  end,  giving 
a  cheerful  sitting-place  for  a  book,  and  occasional  peep  across  the 
lake,  and  affording  on  enrichment  to  the  general  appearance  of 
the  eastern  front.  The  verandas  and  the  porch  would  be  simply 
made  of  wood — the  posts  of  the  trunks  of  trees,  with  the  bark 
thereon,  (nailed  and  varnished  as  described  in  a  previous  chapter,) 
and  the  seats  upon  the  verandas  of  similar  character. 

So  much  of  effect  may  be  obtained  by  the  careful  and  artistic 
placing  about  the  house  and  verandas  of  articles  of  rustic  furni 
ture,  I  have  given  some  specimens  of  simple  manufacture  suited 
to  the  purpose.  The  chair  here  shown  is  of  a  simple  but  durable 
construction,  and  admirably  suited  to  the  veranda  or  to  the 


88 


RURAL   HOMES. 


EUBTIO  ClLlIB. 

grounds  of  a  summer  lodge.  It  is  made  strongly  and  compactly, 
and  the  bark  is  left  on,  so  that  it  may  be  in  keeping  with  the 
appearance  and  texture  of  surrounding  objects.  The  price  ranges 
from  two  and  a  quarter  to  three  dollars,  Cheap  and  good. 


Krone  TABLE. 

A  rustic  table  is  made  to  accompany  the  chairs  given  above, 
and  is  as  pleasingly  simple.  It  is  very  firmly  made,  and  its  price 
is  five  dollars. 


RUSTIC    FURNITURE.  89 

For  shady  nooks  here  and  there  in  the  grounds,  and  for  the 
centre  or  between  the  windows  of  the  veranda,  the  subjoined 


BUBTIO  SOFA. 

design  of  a  rustic  sofa  would  be  found  very  appropriate.  The 
price  would  be  eight  or  ten  dollars,  according  to  the  size.  All  of 
these  articles,  together  with  an  infinite  variety  of  other  odds  and 
ends  suited  to  the  embellishment  and  comfort  of  country  life,  can 
be  found  at  the  Messrs.  Berrian's,  Broadway ;  and  the  firm  is 
daily  adding  to  its  stock,  and  keeps  the  run  of  every  thing  new. 

The  furniture  and  internal  fittings  of  such  a  house  should  be 
very  simple,  but  convenient ;  and  in  my  chapter  upon  "  Summer 
Furniture  "  will  be  found  many  examples  of  articles  adapted  to 
euch  a  building.  l*he  whole  building  should  be  painted  and 
sanded,  and  the  entrance  doors  should  be  made  of  yellow  pine, 
or  other  hard  wood,  oiled  and  varnished.  The  chimneys  might 
be  of  brick,  with  a  simple  cap  and  base  of  stone,  or  of  the  former 
material.  The  verandas  would  look  best  constructed  in  the  rustic 
method  before  described,  and  the  detail  of  the  whole  of  the  ex 
ternal  woodwork  should  be  very  bold  and  simple. 


90 


RURAL   HOMES. 


Thus  the  house  and  scenery  would  accord ;  and  the  building 
BO  treated  would  form,  no  unfit  model  for  a  "  Summer  Lodge.'1 
The  estimated  cost  of  this  building  is  eight  thousand  dollars. 
This  has  been  arrived  at  by  actual  figuring  upon  enlarged  draw 
ings,  by  a  competent  builder,  as  if  for  actual  execution. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    HOMESTEAD. 

THERE  is  a  style  of  house  needed  in  parts  of  this  country, 
somewhat  analogous  in  intention,  though  not  in  absolute  pur 
pose,  to  the  manor-house  of  England.  Although  the  absence  of 
a  law  of  primogeniture  here  necessarily  tends  to  prevent  the 
retention  in  one  family  of  a  "  household-place,"  yet  there  are 
many  large  landed  estates,  of  which  at  least  some  one  central 
portion  may  safely  be  hoped  to  be  preserved  intact,  and  in 
which  a  homestead  as  a  culminating  point  for  the  sympathies 
and  gathered  remembrances  of  the  family,  would  be  very 
desirable. 

This  want,  without  wishing  even  by  implication  to  advocate 
any  principle  repugnant  to  Constitutional  feeling,  or  Republican 
character,  I  will  in  this  chapter  seek  to  supply. 

Perhaps  it  would  be  in  such  a  class  of  house  that  a  national 
architecture  would  most  probably  in  time  develope  itself.  Public 
buildings,  edifices  for  trade  and  commerce,  small  residences 
erected  by  individual  fancy  and  but  for  a  temporary  occupancy, 
are  too  much  controlled  by  impulse,  the  fashion  or  the  style  of 
the  moment,  and  other  easily  understood  causes,  ever  to  generate 


92  RURAL   HOMES. 

a  specific  style  suited  to  the  genius  and  the  wants  of  a  great 
people. 

Therefore  it  is,  I  think,  fairly  to  be  supposed  that  the  country- 
home  of  the  landed  or  retired  gentry,  having  to  meet  an 
universal  want,  will,  as  an  universal  taste  is  gradually  attained, 
become  the  nucleus  of  a  style  of  a  People's  Architecture. 

It  is  not  likely  that  the  first  efforts  will  be  free  from  effects  of 
the  trammels  of  precedent  and  the  stereotyped  maxims  of  the 
architectural  schools,  but  after  a  while  the  valuable  principles 
only  will  be  remembered  that  gave  beauty  to  this  and  that  by 
gone  style,  and  the  details,  peculiarities,  and  arbitrary  rules  be 
set  aside  unless  subservient  to  the  governing  truth.  But  truth 
in  art  is  progressive ;  it  developes  itself  into  perfect  fullness  only 
step  by  step ;  the  germ  may  be  with  us  now,  but  the  glorious 
beauty  of  the  complete  flower  can  only  be  surmised.  The  mis 
take  that  is  most  to  be  guarded  against  is,  unnecessary  whimsi 
cality  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  difficulty  of  steering  clear  of  old 
associations  on  the  other. 

For  the  rural  home  of  a  land-posse&sing  family,  a  house  must 
be  contrived  with  reference  to  the  following  necessities  : 

In  the  first  place,  its  character  must  be  one  that  will  attach  the 
sympathies  of  its  occupants.  This  too,  not  merely  by  its  absolute 
and  esthetic  beauty,  but  by  inherent  qualities  of  fitness  and 
unison  with  the  purposes  of  life,  and  with  the  tastes  and  principles 
of  the  owner. 

The  severity  of  the  purely  classical  styles  is  certainly  not  con 
genial  to  modern  American  taste,  nor  are  their  examples 
practically  adapted  to  the  climate  and  nature  of  the  country. 
The  innumerable  varieties  of  the  styles  that  have  been  originated 
by  the  necessities  and  the  changes  of  modern  times  from  the 


GOTHIC    ARCHITECTURE.  93 

classical  model,  have  many  of  them  excellencies  that  must  com 
mend  their  adoption  here  and  there  in  this  country.  Yet  there 
is  nothing  specific,  nothing  suggestive  about  any  one  of  them, 
and  therefore,  for  the  universal  adoption  under  local  restrictions 
of  a  people's  architecture,  some  other  element  of  design  must  be 
suggested. 

The  Gothic,  from  a  congeniality  of  origin  with  the  race  that 
controls  this  vast  continent,  has  in  its  elements  a  principle  that 
makes  its  adoption  seemingly  more  fitting  than  the  styles  of 
Greece  and  Rome.  And  yet,  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  term,  a 
Gothic  house  is  not  the  homestead  that  we  are  seeking  ;  it  ap 
proaches  it  more  nearly  it  is  true,  but  from  causes  I  will  attempt 
to  explain,  does  not  satisfactorily  embody  the  characteristics  that 
are  required. 

Gothic  architecture  as  applied  to  domestic  purposes  requires, 
if  properly  carried  out,  a  peculiarity  and  completeness  of  detail 
and  finish  that  render  the  noble  examples  with  which  Europe  is 
thronged  unfitting  for  reproduction  here,  or  indeed  there.  By 
this  I  do  not  mean  that  lavish  decoration  is  indispensable ;  on  the 
contrary,  there  are  thousands  of  ancient  buildings  as  simply, 
honestly  plain  as  puritan  could  wish:  but,  pervading  every, 
minute  detail,  the  governing  principle  of  Gothic  art  must  be 
plainly  felt  and  seen.  The  principle  alluded  to  was  then  a  truth, 
but  now  from  the  development  of  fresh  necessities  the  truth 
remains  the  same,  but  its  working  has  become  different.  The 
great  governing  truth  was  then  as  it  is  now — fitness.  But  the 
genius  of  the  age  then  was  ecclesiastical,  the  suggesting  influence 
of  Gothic  art  reverential  worship ;  and  so  deeply  were  its  ex 
amples  imbued  with  this,  that  whether  in  cathedral,  chapter 
house,  manse,  or  cottier's  lodge,  the  all  influencing  spirit  was  at 


94  RURAL    HOMES. 

work.  This  gave  in  the  upward,  soaring  tendency  of  all  its 
leading  lines  the  constant  recurrence  of  features  beautifully  sig 
nificant  then,  and  fitted  eminently  to  the  most  scientific  principles 
of  construction.  But  now  the  forms  are  merely  copied,  and  a 
house  is  made  Gothic  "  because  it  looks  pretty,"  and  does  not 
any  longer  become  Gothic,  because  the  influence  and  feeling  of 
the  times  would  in  no  wise  else  find  embodiment.  Thus  the 
source  of  beauty  in  Gothic  art  was  the  constant  subservience  to 
the  truth  of  fitness ;  that  fitness  determined  not  only  by  the 
exact  adaptation  to  constructive  purposes,  but  by  the  pervading 
church  feeling  of  the  times. 

This  has  now  become  changed.  The  once  powerful  concentra 
tion  of  thought  to  one  specific  end,  that  produced  results  so 
grandly  and  so  wonderfully  beautiful,  is  no  longer  amongst  us. 
We  do  not  deplore  its  departure,  or  weakly  sigh  for  the  "  good 
old  times  ;"  we  have  other  good,  as  a  substitute,  and  the  advance 
of  time,  and  change  and  improvement  in  social  and  intellectual 
condition,  demand  now  a  change  in  the  circumstances  to  which 
the  ever-existing  truth  of  fitness  must  be  applied. 

We  of  this  Saxon  race  have,  however,  advanced  with  Gothic 
art  rather  than  have  left  it.  We  have  still  congeniality  with  its 
principles,  and  we  feel  somehow  always  a  home-whispering  voice 
at  the  heart,  when  we  gaze  upon  some  crumbling  beauty  of  its 
production  in  our  nation's  birth-place  across  the  ocean,  different 
and  more  dear  than  the  emotions  that  fill  our  souls  in  Greece 
and  Italy.  I  think  this  is  so  universally,  and  the  growing  fond 
ness  for  modern  "  Gothic  cottages  "  seems  to  show  that  the 
inborn  feeling  is  seeking  outer  vent.  But  the  best  as  yet  at 
tempted  in  this  line  has  been  scarcely  more  than  meagre  imita 
tions  of  some  Gothic  building  complete  in  itself,  or  of  bits  of 


THE    HOMESTEAD.  95 

detail  copied  here  and  there,  and  woven  into  a  patchwork,  gene 
rally  more  whimsical  than  skilful.  I  hardly  know  of  one  honest 
effort  to  take  to  pieces  the  machinery  of  Gothic  art,  and  find  out 
its  working  power,  and  then  apply  it  here  ;  and  yet  this  is  what 
should  be  done  before  essaying  the  introduction  of  a  style  so 
marked  in  its  features. 

Let  me  now  attempt  the  task;  and  if  not  successful,  the 
endeavor  will  perhaps  interest  my  readers  sufficiently  to 
repay  them  for  the  time  I  would  have  them  bestow  upon  this 
chapter. 

Required  to  define  a  house  suited  to  American  life,  manners, 
and  climate  ;  in  which  the  element  of  design  shall  be  exact  fit 
ness  of  every  portion  to  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  intended. 
Decoration  to  be  embellishment,  and  to  grow  out  of  the  circum 
stances  of  treatment  of  construction  as  they  may  arise,  rejecting 
all  that  does  not  serve  some  definite  purpose,  or  cany  out  some 
specific  idea.  This  is  what  I  propose  to  do. 

Material,  climate,  and  method  of  carrying  on  the  workings  of 
domestic  life  are  the  first  considerations  to  be  thought  about. 
We  will  suppose  the  sceneiy  and  educated  taste  to  be  sufficiently 
similar  everywhere. 

The  natural  materials  of  nearly  universal  provision  in  the 
States  are  timber  and  stone.  The  climate,  though  varied  in  dif 
ferent  portions  of  the  country,  demands,  however,  nearly  the  same 
protection  against  its  contingencies.  The  dreary  snows  of  the 
north  require  the  same  form  of  roof,  for  instance,  as  the  deluging 
rains  and  furious  winds  of  the  south,  and  it  is  a  truism  that 
"  what  will  keep  out  the  cold  will  exclude  the  heat."  Stone  and 
wood  can  be  made  equally  subservient  to  the  same  principles  of 
construction,  although  widely  differing  in  character. 


96  RURAL    HOMES. 

Thus,  then,  there  seems  no  peculiar  constructive  difficulty  in 
this  country  to  the  use  of  any  consistent  style  of  architecture ; 
so  far,  therefore,  there  is  no  obstacle  to  encounter. 

The  first  constructive  want  demands  a  steep,  high  pointed 
roof.  That  is  easily  given,  but  it  will  affect  the  rest  of  the  build 
ing.  How  ?  It  will  require  the  general  lines  not  to  contradict 
the  upward  pointing  tendency  of  this  prominent  feature  of  the 
edifice.  So,  then,  we  have  a  first  element  of  design  to  work 
upon — upward  direction  of  its  main  lines.  But  this,  if  univer 
sally  carried  out,  would  involve  a  form  not  suited  to  every  situa 
tion,  or  congenial  with  every  style  of  scenery.  Therefore  the 
design  must  in  character  present  such  a  harmonious  combination 
of  the  vertical  line  to  accord  with  this  soaring  tendency,  and  the 
horizontal  line,  to  accord  with  the  ordinary  features  of  every  day 
landscape.  But  this  can  only  be  done,  without  danger  of  .viola 
tion  of  one  of  the  first  laws  of  symmetry,  by  making  the  vertical 
character  the  main  feature  of  the  house,  and  the  other  subordi 
nate,  arriving,  in  fact,  at  the  pyramidal  form  or  an  outline  based 
upon  its  principle. 

In  the  illustration  serving  as  the  frontispiece  is  a  view  of  the 
building  I  have  designed  as  an  example  of  the  class  of  houses  I 
am  attempting  to  describe.  The  general  outlines  of  the  mass, 
although  broken  up  into  bold  features  which  embody  the  vertical 
principle,  present  a  symmetrical,  and  really,  almost  a  cubicular 
appearance.  And  yet  the  summit,  or  "  sky  line,"  as  painters 
would  call  it,  is  varied  in  the  extreme;  the  breaks,  however, 
being  formed  by  bold  projections  in  plan,  rather  than  by  diver 
sity  of  height.  The  pointed  gables  that  crown  the  different  por 
tions  of  the  structure  are  no  less  necessary  as  portions  of  th' 
construction  than  of  the  composition.  The  tower,  containing  :  • 


THE    HOMESTEAD.  07 

its  uppermost  stoiy  a  room  for  command  of  extensive  prospect, 
is  the  most  strongly  marked  feature  of  the  building,  at  least  as 
regards  the  first  impression  upon  the  eye,  in  viewing  the  general 
mapping  of  the  parts  of  the  edifice  ;  but  it  is  not  only  very  use 
ful  in  itself,  as  will  presently  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  plan, 
but  its  treatment  and  intention  are  such  as  to  lift  the  building 
up,  and  give  symmetry  and  meaning  to  its  outlines.  The  high 
pitch  of  the  roof  tells  its  own  story ;  wind  and  weather  might 
assail  it  in  vain,  and  as,  on  looking  closely  into  a  proof  of  the 
engraving  now  before  me,  I  find  that  possibly  the  small  projec 
tion  I  have  intentionally  made  at  the  eaves  might  mislead  into 
the  supposition  that  I  intended  a  parapet  running  around  them, 
I  would  here  remark  that  such  is  not  the  case.  A  gutter  is  pro 
vided,  which  extends  so  as  to  overlap  the  upper  surface  of  the 
walls  merely  a  few  inches.  Dripping  eaves  would  be  inconve 
nient,  and  the  streams  of  water  soon  deface  the  walls,  and  a 
widely  projecting  roof  would,  in  this  particular  case,  add  nothing 
to  the  provision  for  protection  of  the  mason  work,  and  would 
only  cause  the  accumulation  of  a  larger  body  of  water  from  its 
additional  surface ;  and  by  its  projection,  removing  the  gutter 
farther  from  the  walls,  would  make  a  greater  difficulty  in  con 
veying  it  into  the  cesspool  or  cistern  into  which  it  is  to  be  con 
ducted. 

Next  to  the  tower,  the  most  prominent  feature  that  would  be 
likely  to  challenge  remark  is  the  large  porch-like  projection  on 
the  south.  This  is  the  ombra — the  meaning  of  which  word  I 
have  before  explained  ;  and  it  will  at  once  be  seen,  on  looking  to 
the  plan  a  few  pages  ahead,  to  be  a  very  desirable  and  most 
comfortable  addition  to  the  house.  A  geometrical  elevation  of 
the  eastern  or  entrance  side  of  the  house  is  given,  drawn  to  a 
5 


08  RURAL    HOMES. 

scale  of  one  twentieth  of  an  inch  to  the  foot,  a  scale  which,  I  will 
remark,  is  used  to  all  the  plans  in  this  book,  where  no  other 
directions  are  given. 

In  this,  the  general  character  of  the  architecture  of  the  build 
ing  is  easily  discernible.  It  will  be  seen  to  be  simply  what  the 
forms  of  each  part  themselves  suggest.  The  details,  and  such 
ornamented  construction  as  is  permitted,  are  merely  embodi 
ments  of  the  leading  principles  of  design  already  laid  down. 
The  entrance-way  is  through  an  arched  opening  into  a  vestibule ; 
arched  because  the  construction  required  it ;  and  the  material, 
which  is  assumed  to  be  stone,  permitted  greater  strength  to  be 
gained,  and  with  superior  economy  and  character  by  such  a  form 
than  by  a  square-headed  opening  with  its  lintel  and  posts. 

The  rough  edges  of  the  stone  are  cut  off  at  an  angle, — cham 
fered,  as  such  a  process  is  technically  called,  and  the  radiating 
joints  of  the  masonry  round  the  pointed  arch  are  protected  from 
injury  of  water  lodging  therein,  by  a  hood  moulding  a  few 
inches  above  them,  cut  off  abruptly  on  the  under  side,  so  as  to 
at  once  throw  off  the  water,  and  sloped  to  an  easy  curve  on  the 
upper  side,  so  as  to  lead  the  wet  along,  and  discharge  it  perpen 
dicularly  at  the  "  drip"  or  termination  of  the  moulding.  But 
tresses  are  shown  to  the  angles  of  this  projecting  block  of  build 
ing.  These  are  necessary,  because  so  much  of  the  stone-work 
has  been  cut  away,  to  allow  the  opening  to  the  door  on  one  side, 
and  the  window  on  the  other,  that  the  superincumbent  weight 
would  be  too  much  for  the  piers  thus  left,  unless  they  were  aided 
and  strengthened  by  buttresses,  or  other  such  support.  The  bay 
window  that  projects  on  this  side  is  a  feature  too  commonly  met 
with  to  demand  remark.  I  would  only  call  attention  to  the  con 
nection  given  therewith  and  the  building,  and  the  preservation 


THE    HOMESTEAD.  99 

of  the  unity  of  principle  decided  on  from  the  first,  by  the  arrange 
ment  of  the  windows  above  it,  by  which  the  pyramidal  form  is 
carried  out,  and  the  parallelism  and  horizontal  tendency  of  the 
lines  of  the  upper  part  of  the  window,  blended  into  a  return  to 
the  vertical  expression.  The  same  remark  also  will  apply  to  the 
combination  of  the  windows  in  the  other  gable,  facing  south.  The 
central  portion  recessed,  where  is  the  ombra,  has,  you  will  ob 
serve,  a  uniform  and  intentional  parallelism  and  strict  adherence 
to  horizontal  lines.  This,  if  the  building  were  cut  off  here,  would 
cause  an  unsightly  want  of  symmetry  in  the  whole  mass ;  but 
the  tower  on  one  side,  the  connection  of  the  ombra  therewith, 
and  the  marked  character  of  the  pointed  gable  that  flanks  it  on 
its  other  side,  make  it  a  subordinate  to  the  whole  mass,  a  neces 
sary  background  to  these  prominent  features,  and  a  point  of  con 
trast  that  permits  the  boldness  of  the  rest  to  be  more  apparent. 

Thus  much  at  present  in  regard  to  the  exterior.  Let  me  now 
direct  attention  to  the  arrangement  within. 

The  plan  of  the  principal  floor  is  thus  disposed  : 

No.  1  is  the  entrance  vestibule,  with  inner  doors  shutting  it 
out  from  the  hall,  No.  2.  The  vestibule  is  twelve  feet  square  ; 
the  hall  eleven  feet  wide  by  twenty-five  in  length.  This  hall  is 
lighted  by  a  large  window  looking  north,  and  communicates 
through  an  opening  also  shut  off  by  double  doors,  with  the  stair 
case  hall  and  vestibule  No.  7.  The  main  hall  would,  from  the 
nature  of  its  light,  be  an  appropriate  place  for  the  hanging  of 
pictures,  and  would  be  also — as  it  should  be — at  all  times  a  cool 
and  agreeable  apartment. 

Immediately  on  entering  the  hall  is  a  door  leading  into  the 
library,  a  large  and  cheerful  room,  twenty-six  feet  by  sixteen,  on 
one  side  of  which  is  a  bay  window,  and  at  the  end  a  stone  fire- 


100 


RURAL    HOMES. 


proof  closet  recessed  and  arched  overhead,  (No.  4,)  in  which 
books,  plate,  or  valuable  papers  could  safely  be  stored.  The 
drawing  room,  No.  5,  is  entered  from  the  main  hall,  and  also 


PLAN"  T.— (TROTTND  PLAN. 

from  the  vestibule.  It  is  twenty-six  feet  by  about  twenty  in  the 
clear,  and  its  one  side  is,  by  means  of  large  windows,  made  so 
as  to  be  entirely  opened  to  the  ombra.  Connected  with  the 
drawing-room  is  a  small  boudoir  or  ladies'  room,  being  the  first 
story  of  the  tower,  and  is  thirteen  feet  square.  The  boudoir, 
drawing  room,  and  library,  all  open  on  to  the  ombra,  a  large  and 
agreeable  shade  room,  the  natural  artistic  development  of  the 


THE    HOMESTEAD.  101 

progress  from  the  ancient  "  stoup."  This  is  a  delightful  place 
for  sitting  in,  and  as  an  easily  obtained  addition  to  a  suite  of 
rooms,  cannot  be  too  strongly  advocated  as  a  feature  in  American 
domestic  architecture.  It  could  be  enclosed  with  glass  in  the 
winter,  and  artificially  warmed ;  thus  used  as  an  enlargement  of 
the  drawing-room,  or  as  a  conservatory. 

The  staircase  hall,  No.  7,  contains  the  principal  stairway,  and 
also  a  double  door  leading  on  to  a  veranda  which  might  extend 
along  the  side  of  the  house,  including  the  western  side  of  the 
boudoir  or  not,  as  seemed  desirable. 

The  dining-room,  No.  8,  is  a  large  room,  twenty-four  by  seven 
teen  in  the  clear,  exclusive  of  the  projecting  western  window. 
Communicating  with  this  is  a  waiters'-pantry,  No.  9,  furnished 
with  glass  and  china  closets,  and  opening  into  a  vestibule,  No.  1 0, 
in  which  are  stairways  leading  to  the  kitchen  below,  and  to 
the  floor  above,  and  also  a  door  into  the  main  hall. 

I  have  in  this  design  assumed  that  the  land  so  falls  away  on 
the  northern  side  as  to  permit  the  kitchens  to  be  hi  a  basement 
below,  hence  the  arrangement  of  the  domestic  offices  is  not 
shown ;  but  if  more  desirable,  they  could  easily  be  extended  in 
a  wing  jutting  out  towards  the  north,  and  made  to  communicate 
with  the  pantry  as  at  present  shown.  The  spot  upon  which 
this  design  was  studied  had  the  ground  so  falling  away,  and  in 
duced  the  arrangement  I  have  given. 

The  chamber  plan  gives  ample  accommodation  for  a  large 
family,  and  with  a  due  regard  to  rooms  for  guests.  It  is  thus 
arranged : 

The  staircase  leads  to  a  landing  on  which  is  a  door  into 
chamber  No.  1,  over  the  boudoir,  which,  not  being  so  high  as 
the  drawing-room,  etc.,  is  entered  upon  a  different  level  above, 


102 


RURAL    HOMES. 


to  that  of  the  floor  over  the  main  portion  of  the  house.  Above 
this  is  another  room  of  similar  size,  and  then  a  space  in  which  is 
a  stairway  leading  to  the  observatory  or  upper  story  of  the 
tower. 


PLAN  8.— CHAMBKB. 

Continuing  up  the  main  entrance,  the  vestibule  shown  upon 
the  plan  is  reached ;  this  is  nine  feet  by  nineteen.  A  door  in 
this  leads  to  a  large  sleeping-room,  No.  2,  the  same  size  as  the 
dining-room  below,  and  to  which  is  a  dressing-room,  not  shown 
upon  the  plan,  but  occupying  the  place  designated  by  No.  3. 


THE    HOMESTEAD.  103 

This  room  (No.  3),  containing  a  bathing  apparatus,  etc.,  is  on  a 
level  with  a  landing  on  the  servants'  staircase,  and  is  entered  by 
descending  a  few  steps  from  the  spacious  hall  or  corridor  over 
the  hall  below.  As  this  room  need  not  be  more  than  eight  feet 
high,  a  dressing-room  might  be  contrived  over  it  from  the  cham 
ber  last  spoken  of,  a  step  or  two  being  made  between  the  floors. 
No.  4  and  No.  5,  are  chambers  over  the  drawing-room,  each  of 
ample  size  and  well  provided  with  roomy  closets. 

No.  6,  is  over  the  entrance  vestibule,  and  the  recessed  closet 
below  is  thrown  into  the  room,  thereby  making  it  a  very  con 
venient  shape  for  a  bed.  No.  7,  is  a  room  the  full  extent  of  the 
spacious  library  below,  and  over  the  bay-window,  a  balcony  is 
obtained  entered  from  French  windows.  Nos.  8  and  9  are  closets. 

Above  this  the  roofs  would  permit  cool,  well-ventilated,  and 
large  sleeping-rooms  for  servants,  and  it  will  at  once  be  seen 
that  the  provision  for  the  repose  of  guests  is  as  hospitably  ample 
as  would  probably  be  needed. 

The  finishing  and  furnishing  of  such  a  house  should  be 
governed  by  the  same  intention  that  controls  the  external  design. 
The  library  with  its  roomy  book-cases,  easy-chairs,  tables,  and  two 
or  three  folding-stands  for  portfolios  of  engravin'gs,  with  a  pedestal 
and  a  bronze  or  a  bust  here  and  there,  only  requires  a  natural 
arrangement  to  be  in  perfect  taste.  The  doors  of  the  room,  of  the 
lower  presses  or  closets,  of  the  book-cases,  may  be  hinged  with 
some  such  massy  hinges  as  the  annexed  cut  represents. 

These  are  of  American  manufacture,  and  can  be  procured 
silver  plated,  brass,  or  bronzed.  I  saw  them  a  few  days  ago,  and 
was  so  pleased  with  their  appearance,  that,  thinking  a  representa 
tion  would  be  valuable,  I  have  introduced  one  into  this  chapter. 

They  can  be  procured  of  Baldwin  &  Many,  49  John  Street, 


104 


RURAL    HOMES. 


New  York,  where  is  kept  constantly  an  unusually  large  and  varied 
assortment  of  everything  appertaining  to  the  metal  work  and 
finishing  of  a  house.  At  the  same  establishment,  among  the 


HlNGB. 

many  articles  of  ingenuity,  beauty,  and  utility  I  examined,  I 
selected  a  number  of  things  that  I  thought  would  be  a  means  of 
making  these  directions  for  the  perfecting  of  a  home  more  prac 
tically  useful,  and  in  different  portions  of  this  work  I  shall,  from 
time  to  time,  introduce  such  as  seem  worthy  of  notice. 

An  immense  variety  of  beautiful   articles   manufactured  in 
porcelain  could  very  advantageously  be  selected  from  in  im- 


DOOR-KNOB. 

bellishing  and  finishing  a  homestead,  amongst  them,  door-knobs, 


THE    HOMESTEAD.  105 

of  which  a  specimen  is  here  given,  display  some  truly  artistic 
taste  in  their  designs,  and  are  no  less  elegantly  than  firmly  and 
durably  made. 

A  great  improvement  has  been  introduced  by  Baldwin  & 
Many  in  the  manufacture  of  the  shanks  of  these  articles — the 
old  objection  of  the  knob  being  liable  to  become  detached  from 
the  shoulder,  being  in  those  made  by  this  firm  entirely  removed. 

The  windows  opening  out  of  the  drawing-room,  boudoir,  and 
library  into  the  ombra  should  be  made  to  close  in  the  centre, 
either  swinging  back  upon  hinges,  or  sliding  into  the  walls. 
There  is  frequently  a  difficulty  in  properly  securing  the  two 
halves  of  such  windows  without  a  complication  of  bolts  and 
locks  that  renders  their  use  objectionable.  A  simple  and  beauti 
ful  little  machine  invented  in  Paris,  where  these  windows  are 
greatly  used,  has  recently  been  introduced  into  this  country, 
and  as  I  have  found  it  effectively  to  answer  its  purpose,  I 
give  here  a  representation.  It  is  called  the  "  Espagnlette  Bolt," 


ESPAGNLETTE  BOLT. 


and  is  procurable  at  the  warehouse  of  the  seme  firm  I  have 
5* 


106  RURAL    HOMES. 

just  alluded  to.  Its  working  is  very  simple,  the  leverage 
bringing  the  two  parts  of  the  window  together,  and  constantly 
drawing  them  as  closely  as  their  construction  will  permit.  This 
and  Woodbridge's  Patent  Weather-Strip  are  very  valuable 
for  French  windows. 

The  drawing  room  and  boudoir  will  permit  such  enrichment 
as  taste  and  means  will  suggest,  taking  care,  however,  that  the 
room  be  not  too  much  cumbered  with  light  or  useless  articles  of 
fine  furniture,  and  that  the  effect  of  breadth  which  the  simple 
grouping  together  of  a  few  choice  pieces  here  and  there  would 
easily  induce,  be  not  frittered  away.  The  wood  for  the  doors,  the 
staircases,  the  library  and  dining  room  furniture,  should  all  be 
national — Southern  pine,  black  walnut,  American  oak,  and  chest 
nut,  oiled  and  polished,  (not  varnished,)  will  afford  a  sufficient 
variety,  and  the  design  of  all  these  accessories  should  accord  with 
that  of  the  house. 

The  glazing  of  the  windows  might  be  made  a  means  of  im 
parting  considerable  character  to  the  house.  The  old  glass  used 
in  Gothic  times  could  then  only  be  manufactured  in  small  pieces. 
Hence  the  minute  "  quarries,"  (as  they  are  called,)  and  the  leaden 
reticulated  casements  found  in  churches  and  domestic  buildings 
of  olden  times.  The  servile  copying,  however,  of  such  forms 
into  modern  buildings,  when  the  improvement  in  the  manufac 
ture  of  glass  renders  suchs  mall  lights  unnecessary,  is  a  miser 
able  mannerism,  and  I  have  seen  many  a  really  sensible  house 
spoiled  by  the  ridiculous  embodiment  in  its  design  of  an  obsolete 
mode  of  construction.  Furthermore,  the  leaden  strips  which 
held  the  glass  in  old  windows  was  small  and  unobtrusive,  and 
projected  so  little  from  the  glass,  that  the  outline  of  its  intersec 
tion  was  scarcely  seen,  the  decoration  generally  running  all  over, 


bU"BUB,BAN   VILLA  p    107 


DESCRIPTION    OF    A    SUMMER   LODGE.  107 

the  window  being  usually  so  cunningly  wrought  that  the  black 
cross  lines  formed  by  the  lead  bindings  seemed  portions  of  the 
embellishment  rather  than  constructive  parts  of  the  window. 
Here  wooden  sashes  supply  the  place  of  the  lead ;  and  when 
diagonal  or  other  geometrical  forms  are  introduced  into  modern 
Gothic  windows,  the  necessity  for  making  the  work  sufficiently 
strong  obliges  the  use  of  wood-work  so  thick  and  heavy,  that  the 
light  is  obscured,  and  the  appearance  of  the  whole  casement  is 
clumsy.  The  beauty  of  our  clear  modern  glass,  the  unobstructed 
view  its  large  and  clear  panes  afford,  plead  for  an  honest  and 
sensible  use.  Therefore  let  the  panes  be  large,  and  as  the  square 
or  parallelogram  is  not.  always  a  harmonious  outline  in  such  a 
house  as  I  am  describing,  let  some  variation  in  its  form  be  at 
tempted.  This  may  be  done  by  leaving  some  large  and  unob 
structed  glass  opening  for  view  and  light,  and  surrounding  it 
with  a  simple  border  of  framework,  made  of  right  lines  disposed 
at  various  angles,  and  the  spaces  between,  if  wished,  filled  with 
stained  and  mosaic  glass,  of  such  dainty  device  and  sparkling 
hues  as  will  best  harmonize  with  the  decoration  and  tone  of 
coloring  within. 

But  I  cannot  pause,  or  there  will  not  be  space  left  for  other 
matters  no  less  important  or  interesting  than  the  homestead. 
Remarking  only,  in  conclusion,  that  the  masonry  of  the  house 
should  be  rough,  if  of  stone,  and  that  a  porch  under  which  a 
carriage  could  drive  might,  without  violation  of  the  principles  of 
the  design,  be  erected  before  the  entrance  door  [I  omitted  this 
in  the  views,  for  the  sake  of  making  the  marked  feature  of  the 
ombra  still  more  prominent],  that  broad  lawns  should  be  left 
before  its  fronts,  with  shade  trees  placed  in  accordance  with  pre 
conceived  design,  not  spotted  here  and  there  as  if  their  planter 


108  RURAL    HOMES. 

had  sailed  over  in  a  balloon  and  shaken  them  out  of  a  pepper- 
caster  ;  and  that  such  a  building  finished  substantially  and  con 
sistently  would  cost  twelve  thousand  dollars,  or  might  be  so 
treated  as  to  be  built  for  less, — I  commend  this  study  of  a  home 
stead,  and  these  ideas  of  the  elements  of  design,  suggestive  of  a 
national  Rural  Architecture,  to  the  attention  of  all  lovers  of  the 
beautiful,  the  real,  and  the  true. 


CHAPTEE  YIII. 

THE  SUBURBAN  VILLA. 

THE  immediate  vicinity  to  a  town  seems  to  require  or  permit 
a  more  ornate  and  less  utilitarian  style  of  building  than  would  suit 
the  broad  and  open  country.  The  evidences  of  advanced  civiliza 
tion,  wealth,  and  spendor  around  justify,  in  the  home  for  retire 
ment  from  the  cares  and  turmoil  of  the  city,  a  modest  putting 
forth  of  the  position,  consequence,  and  taste  of  its  occupants. 
The  neighborhood  of  many  of  the  manufacturing  and  commer 
cial  towns  of  England  abound  in  beautiful  examples  of  the  Villa 
Rustica.  The  environs  of  London,  particularly  St.  John's  Wood, 
and  the  neighborhood  of  the  Edgeware  Road,  are  studded  with 
handsome  places  and  pretty  cottages  well  arranged  for  the  pur 
poses  of  the  life  for  which  they  were  built.  The  Continent  of 
Europe  is  full  of  them,  though  of  a  different  type  to  the  Angli 
cised  villa  suggested  by  the  home  efforts  of  Palladio  and  Vitru- 
vius,  who  drew  their  inspiration  from  the  pure  taste  of  the 
courtly  Roman  gentlemen,  the  once  fathers  and  patrons  of  art  in 
Italy. 

Less  progress  has,  perhaps,  been  made  in  the  suburban  villa, 


110  RURAL   HOMES. 

in  this  country,  than  in  almost  any  other  branch  of  architectural 
study,  not  for  want  of  opportunities  for  experiment — every  town 
and  city  in  the  Union  more  or  less  abounding  in  them — but 
from  the  prevalence  of  two  great  mistakes,  which  I  think  most 
of  my  readers  will  admit  to  exist.  A  gentleman  desirous  of 
building  a  family  home  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  is  apt  to  fall 
into  one  of  these  two  errors,  either  that  of  endeavoring  to  drag 
the  city  out  to  his  door-step,  (evinced  by  the  high  three  windows 
on  each  floor,  back  and  front,  a  house  the  type  of  which  exists  in 
any  newly  attempted  settlements  in  the  distant  wilds  of  far 
away  up-town) :  or  he  falls  into  the  other  error,  and  erects  him 
a  house,  too  large  on  the  ground  for  his  lot,  too  whimsical  for 
contrast  with  the  necessarily  many  regular  forms  around,  and  too 
evidently,  if  good  in  itself,  requiring  a  large,  cheerful  lawn  and  a 
background  of  forest-trees  to  set  it  forth  to  anything  approaching 
to  advantage. 

The  villa  should  always  be  retired,  if  even  on  a  most  con 
stantly  frequented  street  and  road.  Still,  though  the  depth  of 
the  lot  will  not,  in  all  cases,  permit  of  the  building  being  placed 
back,  and  the  planting  of  a  screening  belt  of  evergreens  and 
shrubs  to  shut  it  out  from  view,  by  placing  the  rooms  most  con 
stantly  used  by  the  family,  and  the  flower  garden  in  the  rear  or 
side,  (as  the  aspect  will  suggest,)  the  conveniences  of  privacy  and 
retirement  may  be  attained.  I  would  not  wish  to  shut  a  house 
into  a  well  of  tall  trees  and  impervious  fences,  but  neither  would 
I  counsel  the  bare  and  unprotected  arrangement  so  generally  in 
vogue,  which  permits  each  passer-by  to  command  the  move 
ments  of  every  one  within. 

Were  I  asked  what  should  be  the  feature  most  prominent  in 
an  American  villa,  I  would  say  "  the  veranda,"  for  to  no  portion 


THE    SUBURBAN    VILLA.  Ill 

of  the  house  are  perfect  comfort  and  effective  appearance  attribut 
able  so  much  as  to  its  provision  for  shade.  In  fact,  this  may  be 
considered  the  element  of  the  character  of  the  design,  and  the 
"  veranda  style"  in  this  age  of  new  nomenclature  would  be  no 
unfit  description  of  a  class  of  house  otherwise  difficult  to  be 
placed  in  the  list  of  recognised  orders  and  styles.  If  my  readers 
will  permit  me  to  decide  this  as  the  first  important  consideration 
in  determining  the  character  for  the  house,  I  will  endeavor  to 
suggest  the  treatment  it  should  receive  in  different  localities  and 
under  different  circumstances. 

Where  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  a  large  city  possesses 
considerable  and  varied  natural  beauty,  with  ground  irregular, 
and  with  mossy  rocks,  and  sparkling  water  here  and  there,  to 
mark  the  links  between  the  busy  city  within,  and  the  wide  range 
of  nature  without ;  the  building  should,  in  a  measure,  carry  out 
the  same  feeling.  It  may  be  that  the  house  stands  on  a  natural 
terrace  of  mossy  bank  and  rock ;  the  surface  of  the  road  may 
undulate,  dipping  now  suddenly  down  to  the  bridge  over  the 
river  that  brings  wealth  to  the  city,  and  now  stretching  far 
behind,  up  and  down  and  right  and  left,  until  its  course  is  lost  in 
the  distance.  The  probability  is  that  the  shape  of  the  lot  is 
regular — a  rectangle  parallel  to  the  street,  and  so  great  irregu 
larity  of  outline  upon  the  ground  would  be  both  inconvenient 
and  unnecessary ;  for  the  easiest  way  to  reconcile  broken  surface 
of  country  around  with  form  of  building  is  by  breaks  in  height, 
or,  as  it  is  called,  in  the  "  summit  outline."  A  tower  and  look 
out  may  shoot  up  somewhere  from  the  block  of  the  main 
building,  and  break  lines  else  monotonous  ;  and  this  or  any 
other  irregular  feature  may  the  more  easily  be  ventured  upon  if 
the  veranda  base  is  ample,  and  by  its  bold  appearance  unite  and 


112  RURAL   HOMES. 

keep  down  all  that  might  otherwise  have  seemed  too  distinct 
or  prominent.  In  such  a  situation,  almost  any  style  will  be  sus 
ceptible  of  adaptation  in  its  details ;  perhaps  the  high-pointed 
Gothic  might,  unless  very  carefully  treated,  appear  too  positive, 
and  challenge  too  much  observation  from  the  absence  of  that 
partial  means  of  concealment  which  should  not  permit  it  to  be 
seen  all  at  once  ;  or  if  so,  only  from  a  distance,  and  where  there 
is  a  background  or  a  balancing  object  beyond  or  near  to  it ;  and 
this,  from  the  necessity  of  close  proximity  to  a  public  road,  and 
from  the  desire  for  careful  and  minute  finish  in  details,  is  not 
easy  here.  The  Italian  is,  perhaps,  universally  adapted  to  the 
purposes  of  villa  building,  and  as  the  house  now  to  be  described 
originated  in  Italy,  and  has  even  given  a  name  to  the  building 
itself  as  well  as  its  style,  it  may  be  considered,  in  the  absence  of 
reasons,  to  demand  a  preference  for  any  other,  as  the  legitimate 
style  for  the  suburban  villa.  This  style  I  have  before  sketched, 
and  as  it  is  susceptible  of  infinite  variety  in  its  treatment,  and 
is,  moreover,  one  equally  adapted  to  the  simplest  home  and 
grandest  mansion,  its  adoption  for  the  purpose  named,  will,  I 
think,  appear  suitable. 

This  style  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  Eoman  or  the 
classic,  and  no  visions  of  lofty  columns  or  of  pediment  must  flit 
before  the  eyes  of  my  readers  on  encountering  the  term  Italian. 
It  is  a  fact,  that  in  the  suburbs  of  Rome,  Florence,  Genoa,  etc., 
the  column  was  seldom  or  never  seen  in  any  relation  to  a  do 
mestic  purpose.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  graceful  columns 
supporting  the  inner  arcade  of  the  atrium  or  court,  a  simple 
pilaster  or  antae,  here  and  there,  and  a  truncated  column  afford 
ing  a  pedestal  for  a  sun-dial,  I  am  not  aware  of  the  existence  of 
any  ancient  dwelling  of  the  villa  class,  possessing  column,  pedi- 


THE    SUBURBAN    VILLA.  113 

ment,  or  portico.  It  remained  for  us  in  modern  times  to  combine 
the  temple  and  the  three-story  front,  and  to  disfigure  a  building, 
and  bring  opprobrium  upon  the  classic  style,  by  erecting  the 
masses  of  unmeaning  carpentry  our  every  suburb  shows.  The 
ancient  villa  had  a  broad  overhanging  roof,  spacious  covered 
cloisters  or  walks,  (answering  to  our  veranda  now,)  and  generally 
a  means  of  covered  carriage-approach  to  the  hall  of  the  dwelling. 
It  had  also  a  peculiarity  seldom  retained  here  (excepting  in 
Mexico,)  in  an  inner  court  of  large  size,  covered  over  at  the  top 
on  the  same  level  as  the  roof,  and  decorated  with  fountains,  mo 
saic  pavement,  parterre  and  statuary,  and  with  an  arcade  of 
simple  columns,  or  light  open  metal  tracery,  round  the  four  sides, 
upon  which  the  doors  and  windows  from  the  apartments  within 
looked,  there  frequently  being  no  windows  in  the  outside  of  the 
building  that  could  afford  any  prospect  without,  the  whole  of  the 
view  being  comprised  of  the  objects  in  the  court  within.  Many 
old  houses  in  England,  and  several  hotels  here,  (the  Astor,  for 
instance,)  are  built  upon  this  plan,  excepting  the  provision  of 
outer  windows,  as  well  as  those  upon  the  court,  and  the  arrange 
ment  has  evidently  been  made  from  that  of  the  ancient  villa. 

Within,  the  rooms  should  be  spacious,  and  their  heights  some 
what  greater  than  would  be  considered  necessary  in  the  country ; 
the  hall  should  have  an  outer  vestibule,  if  there  be  no  porch, 
and  also  an  inner  vestibule,  communicating  with  the  principal 
rooms,  and  capable  of  being  shut  off  at  times  from  the  hall.  I 
would  here  say,  that  a  hall  running  through  the  house,  if  not  so 
made  as  to  afford  a  means  of  cutting  off  a  portion  as  a  screened 
vestibule  from  one  suite  of  rooms  to  the  other,  is  not  only  a 
great  waste  of  space,  but  is  really  an  inconvenience,  and  I  can 
think  now  of  many  good  houses  spoiled  by  this  one  thing — tho 


114  RURAL    HOMES. 

hall  seldom  being  of  noble  enough  dimensions  to  be  considered  as 
an  apartment  in  itself,  and  only  becoming  a  long,  narrow  passage 
way,  inconvenient  to  cross,  and  too  small  comfortably  to  sit  in.  The 
kitchen  buildings,  if  stretching  out  in  a  wing,  may  be  easily  ren 
dered  an  appropriate  and  even  ornamental  portion  of  the  erection ; 
or  if  below,  as  in  such  houses  they  sometimes  are,  a  very  sharp 
eye  must  be  kept  that  the  builder  has  not  forgotten  the  provision 
of  the  most  ample  flues  and  ventilating  air-ducts,  for  the  preven 
tion  of  the  admission  of  the  air  and  odors  from  below  into  the 
floors  above.  A  conservatory  is  an  ornamental,  and,  I  am 
pleased  to  believe,  is  becoming  a  necessary  adjunct  to  a  villa.  It 
may  sometimes  be  placed  on  the  second  floor,  (over  the  carriage 
porch,  for  instance,)  with  great  advantage,  though  the  capabili 
ties  of  the  house  for  reception  of  company  are  increased,  by 
making  it  so  that  it  can  be  used  in  connection  with  the  rooms 
on  the  principal  floor. 

The  house  being  required  more  frequently  for  the  entertain 
ment  of  a  large  number  of  persons,  like  the  town-house,  has  to 
be  contrived  to  meet  such  a  want,  and  at  the  same  time  neither 
cramp  the  home  comforts  for  the  family,  nor  oblige  them  to 
build  a  larger  house  than  their  number  or  way  of  living  may 
need.  This  excellence  of  adaptation  to  both  purposes  can  be 
attained  more  by  skilful  arrangement  of  the  rooms  and  passages 
than  necessarily  by  great  space.  The  ombra,  or  certain  portions 
of  the  veranda,  may  be  contrived  in  such  a  manner  as  to  be 
occasionally,  or  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  enclosed,  and  thus 
form,  at  little  expense,  and  no  increase  of  real  size  of  the  house, 
additional  rooms  for  the  reception  of  guests  ;  and  as  the  demand 
on  such  occasions  for  extra  sleeping  rooms  has  not  to  be  met 
also  like  it  would  be  in  the  country-house,  such  a  facility  of 


THE    SUBURBAN    VILLA.  115 

down-stair  expansion  would  be  a  great  excellence  in  the  suburban 
villa. 

I  have  incidentally  mentioned  the  carriage  porch  ;  my  readers 
will  themselves  see  how  desirable  such  an  appendage  at  all  sea 
sons  would  be.  This  should  extend  sufficiently  far  to  allow  a 
carriage  to  drive  and  put  down  its  load  at  the  entrance  door  of 
the  hall,  under  cover ;  and  its  roof  might  be  made  either  a  de 
lightfully  spacious  balcony  from  the  chamber  floor,  or,  as  sug 
gested  just  now,  would  afford  an  opportunity  for  a  conservatory 
at  little  additional  expense. 

In  all  the  designs  selected  for  the  illustration  of  this  little 
work,  I  have  made  the  veranda,  ombra,  or  other  provisions  for 
architectural  shade  a  prominent  feature ;  in  the  suburban  villa 
such  a  portion  of  the  building  requires  a  somewhat  more  regular 
and  architectural  treatment  than  would  be  desirable  in  the 
country  house ;  and  as  such  a  treatment  can  only  satisfactorily 
be  obtained  by  a  scientifically  detailed  drawing  of  the  building 
and  its  parts,  I  have  preferred,  in  the  villa  that  illustrates  this 
one  of  my  rural  homes,  to  give  one  that  has  been  erected,  and 
which,  from  its  internal  arrangements,  and  picturesque,  yet  fin 
ished  aspect,  has  given  satisfaction  to  its  owner  and  his  neighbors. 
I  will  suppose  the  spot  upon  which  it  stands,  describing  the 
building  itself,  however,  exactly  as  it  is. 

A  mile  or  two  from  the  city,  just  where  the  stone  flagging  of 
the  pavemented  town  is  merging  into  the  neatly  kept  gravel 
walk  of  the  suburbs,  stands  the  house  whose  title  heads  this 
chapter.  A  thick  belt  of  shrubs  and  evergreens,  protected  from 
injury  by  vagrant  hands  by  an  outer  fence  or  paling,  shuts  out 
the  lawn  and  garden  between  the  house  and  the  public  road,  a 
timber-framed  gate  and  a  handsome  stone  pillar  on  either  side. 


116  RURAL    HOMES. 

marking  the  entrance  to  the  drive  within.  We  will  enter,  dear 
reader.  The  road,  ten  feet  wide,  and  as  smooth  as  gravel  will 
permit,  curves  towards  a  nearly  circular  space  which  sweeps 
before  the  arcade  in  front,  which  supplies  the  place  of  a  project 
ing  portico  or  carriage  porch. 

Within  the  porch,  a  flight  of  steps  leads  to  the  vestibule,  and 
through  double  doors  into  a  square  hall,  with,  if  you  please,  a 
marble  floor,  or,  perhaps,  one  of  encaustic  tiles,  and  the  corners 
are  ornamented  with  niches  and  vases,  or  statuary.  On  the  left, 
an  open  archway  leads  into  another  vestibule,  containing  the 
principal  staircase  and  the  entrance  to  the  library,  which  is  in  a 
campanile,  or  tower,  that  will  be  presently  spoken  of.  On  the 
right,  a  similar  archway  leads  into  a  vestibule  leading  to  the 
offices  and  kitchen,  in  which  is  a  door  conducting  into  a  gentle 
man's  dressing-room,  bath-room,  etc.,  contained  in  a  projection 
which  answers  to  that  of  the  tower,  and  between  which  is  the 
entrance-porch  previously  spoken  of.  In  the  hall  immediately 
opposite  the  entrance  door,  are  double  doors  leading  into  a  bou 
doir,  or  saloon,  and  which  may  be  thrown  into  the  hall  when 
needed.  On  the  left  of  this  is  a  large  drawing-room ;  on  the 
right,  the  dining-room  ;  and  beyond  it,  the  pantry,  china-closet, 
kitchen,  and  other  domestic  offices.  On  the  floor  above  are  spa 
cious  sleeping  and  dressing-rooms,  bath-rooms,  etc.;  and  the 
tower  is  earned  up  a  clear  story  above  the  roof,  affording  a  cool 
retreat,  where  the  breeze  blows  unmolested,  and  whence  a  cheer 
ful  and  extended  prospect  of  the  town  and  the  country  beyond 
is  commanded. 

The  aspect  of  the  house  is  as  follows :  the  entrance-front  is 
east ;  the  tower  on  the  east  and  southern  corner  ;  the  drawing- 
room  south,  with  an  end  west ;  the  boudoir  and  drawing-room 


THE    SUBURBAN   VILLA.  11 7 

west ;  and  the  kitchens,  etc.,  protected  on  the  north  by  an  en 
closed  yard  containing  wood- sheds,  etc.,  and  extending  to  an 
avenue  which  runs  along  and  bounds  the  northern  side  of  the 
grounds.  A  large  veranda  is  on  the  western  side,  and  a  smaller 
one  (as  being  more  exposed  to  view  from  the  street,  and  conse 
quently  less  desirable)  on  the  south. 

The  grounds  run  back,  in  all,  from  the  road  about  four  hun 
dred  and  fifty  feet ;  the  house  is  placed  back  one  hundred  feet, 
and  as  near  as  possible  to  the  northern  boundary,  so  as  to  permit 
as  large  a  lawn  and  garden  on  the  southern  side  as  the  space 
will  afford.  The  stable  and  offices  are  at  the  extreme  western  end 
of  the  grounds,  screened  from  view,  by  means  of  a  thick  planta 
tion  and  a  fence,  and  conveniently  entered  from  the  road  or 
avenue  on  the  north. 

The  external  appearance  of  the  building  is  designed  to  suit 
the  situation.  Being  so  near  a  city,  and  the  objects  contrasted 
with  it  being  regular,  and  more  or  less  ornate,  a  roughly-rural 
erection  would  be  out  of  place,  though  not  more  so  than  would 
be  a  regular  city-house.  The  ground  undulating,  and  its  level 
being  considerably  elevated,  some  harmony  is  desirable  between 
these  circumstances  and  the  distribution  of  the  parts  of  the 
building.  Accordingly,  the  tower  spoken  of  is  placed  at  the 
south-eastern  corner,  where,  as  it  is  the  object  that  first  meets  the 
eye  on  approaching  from  the  city,  it  has  a  bold  and  picturesque 
appearance  ;  and  as  the  view  of  the  scenery  around  is  extremely 
fine,  there  seems  every  reason  that  means  for  an  extended  look 
out  should  be  so  provided.  The  projecting  portion  of  the  front 
balancing  this  tower,  and  which  contains  the  gentleman's  dress 
ing-room,  etc.,  (which,  you  will  see,  I  almost  always  insist  upon 
in  a  home,)  extends  merely  to  one  stojy,  and  terminates  in  a 


*• 

118  RURAL    HOMES. 

somewhat  ornamental  manner,  with  pedestals  crowned  with  vases, 
and  an  open  balustrade  between ;  whilst  between  it  and  the 
tower,  the  projection  of  the  porch  affords  an  opportunity  foi 
making  a  large  balcony,  entered  from  the  chamber  floor,  and  in 
which  many  beautiful  plants  might  be  reared,  as  it  would  be 
veiy  easy  to  enclose  the  top  and  sides  with  glass,  removable  at 
such  seasons  when  the  increased  heat  of  so  much  glass  in  front 
of  the  windows  might  not  prove  desirable. 

The  style  to  be  chosen  for  the  house  seems  to  me  to  be  most 
readily  met  by  the  use  of  the  genuine  modern  bracketed  Italian, 
with  projecting  roof,  somewhat  flatter  in  its  pitch  than  in  a  house 
farther  in  the  country,  and  with  the  brackets,  the  cornice,  the 
chimney-caps,  etc.,  of  a  more  finished  and  architectural  character 
than  I  have  heretofore  described.  The  material  selected  to  be 
brick,  with  stone  dressings  to  the  windows  and  chimneys,  and  to 
be  painted  and  sanded  a  deep,  warm  cream-color,  with  those 
parts  of  the  building  which  are  constructed  of  wood,  painted  the 
same  tone  of  color,  but  of  deeper  tint. 

The  southern  end  is  pleasingly  embellished  by  the  addition 
of  a  large  projecting  bay  window  in  the  drawing-room,  ex 
tended  up  to  the  chamber  floor,  and  finished  with  pedestals, 
vases,  and  balustrade,  in  a  similar  manner  to  the  projection 
on  the  eastern  front.  The  veranda  would  be  of  wood ;  •  or 
I  have  occasionally  seen  some  patterns  in  iron  that  are  very 
satisfactory,  although  the  extreme  stiffness  of  design  too  often 
observable  in  articles  of  this  material,  generally  makes  them 
anything  but  desirable.  Janes,  Beebe  and  Co.,  of  New  York, 
have  recently  imported  some  patterns  from  Europe,  of  such  great 
beauty,  and  which  they  are  re-making  in  so  exquisite  a  manner, 
I  would  recommend  all  interested  in  artistic  smithery  to  call  and 


THE    SUBURBAN    VILLA.  119 

see  their  extensive  collection.     The  Art  Journal  has  done  much 

• 

to  raise  the  character  of  the  designs  of  metal  work  in  general ; 
and  such  of  my  readers  as  have  anything  upon  which  they  wish 
to  exercise  their  taste,  connected  with  the  useful  or  ornamental  in 
metal,  will  find  the  examples  there  given,  and  since  reproduced 
by  Janes,  deserving  a  close  study.  The  firm*  have,  likewise,  some 
ornamental  tables,  seats,  flower-stands,  fountains,  vases,  etc.,  of 
equal  merit  of  design  and  workmanship. 

The  grounds  of  a  villa  near  a  city  afford  opportunity  for 
the  introduction  of  veiy  many  durable  objects  of  art,  which,  if 
chosen  with  reference  to  their  use  and  purpose,  greatly  enhance 
the  pleasures  of  a  stroll  therein ;  though  my  readers  will,  I  hope, 
not  think  this  remark  a  justification  for  the  admission  of  the  vul 
gar  "  garden  images  "  that  the  cockneys  love  to  stick  about  their 
places,  or  of  the  quaint,  though  I  think  no  less  vulgar,  conceits 
and  practical-joke  machines  that  degrade  Chatsworth,  in  the 
shape  of  imitation  men  fishing,  and  tin  trees  that  drench  the 
gazer  standing  beneath  them. 

The  ground  plan  here  given  will  make  the  arrangement 
of  the  rooms  on  the  principal  floor  easily  evident. 

No.  1,  is  the  entrance  arcade,  recessed  back  a  little  from  the 
projection  of  the  tower,  so  that  the  line  of  its  lower  step  may 
not  protrude  beyond  the  tower's  base.  This  arcade  is  of  a 
heavy,  massive  character,  the  columns  with  panelled  recesses,  and 
the  soffits  of  the  round-headed  arches  above  sunk  in  a  similar 
manner.  Its  ceiling  is  divided  by  beams  into  compartments  also 
deeply  recessed,  and  its  floor  and  its  widely  spreading  steps  are 
of  the  Connecticut  brown  stone.  No.  2,  is  the  hall,  about  four 
teen  feet  square,  and  provided  with  coat  and  hat  closets  on  either 


120 


RURAL    HOMES. 


side  of  the  arched  recess,  in  which  are  the  double-doors  to  the 
boudoir,  No.  6. 


GROUND  PLAN.— SUBTTBBAN  VILLA, 

No.  3,  the  library,  sixteen  feet  square  in  the  clear,  its  real 
accommodation  being  increased  by  a  large  recess,  No.  4,  under 
the  principal  staircase,  which  being  fitted  up  with  shelves  and 
presses  for  books,  materially  adds  to  the  actual  size  of  the  room. 
This  apartment  is  the  first  story  of  the  tower,  and  by  the  treat 
ment  of  its  inside  cornices  and  its  windows  has  a  simple  a^  "1 
highly  artistic  effect. 


THE    SUBURBAN    VILLA.  121 

No.  5,  is  the  drawing-room,  a  spacious,  well-proportioned 
room,  twenty-six  by  eighteen,  exclusive  of  the  projecting  bay- 
window  on  its  side. 

Communicating  with  this  is  the  boudoir,  No.  6,  fourteen  by 
seventeen,  opening  by  means  of  a  large  French  window  (as  do 
also  the  drawing  and  dining-rooms)  upon  a  wide  veranda  ex 
tending  entirely  along  the  garden  or  western  side  of  the  villa. 
Next  to  the  boudoir  is  the  dining-room,  No.  7,  eighteen  feet  by 
seventeen,  attached  to  it  being  a  waiters'-pantry  and  china-closet, 
No.  8.  This  pantry  is  macle  with  a  slide  into  the  kitchen,  No.  9, 
for  the  Convenience  of  serving,  but,  as  will  be  seen  at  a  glance  to 
the  plan,  does  not  open  directly  into  the  kitchen,  and  by  that 
means  no  effluvia  or  exposure  of  the  culinary  operations  would 
be  likely  to  be  inconveniently  present. 

No.  10,  is  the  kitchen  pantry,  with  a  back  vestibule  leading 
into  an  inclosed  yard  containing  every  requisite  to  the  comfort 
of  the  house,  which  should  be  within  easy  reach,  and  yet  kept 
out  of  sight. 

No  11,  is  the  gentleman's  dressing-room,  which  having  a  door 
into  the  passage  leading  by  the  dining-room  to  the  kitchen, 
would  be  conveniently  near  the  dining-room,  and  yet  secured 
from  sight.  This  room  contains  an  inner  dressing-room,  No.  11, 
and  a  bath-room  and  water-closet — and  the  whole  suite  might 
be  used  as  a  sleeping-room  and  corresponding  appurtenances,  if 
thought  preferable  to  the  occupancy  which  I  have  desig 
nated. 

No.  13,  is  the  scullery,  and  as  underneath  the  building  is  a 
large,  well-lighted  cellar,  a  cool-larder,  vegetable-room,  and  a 
laundry  are  reached  below  by  a  flight  of  stairs  under  the  back 
staircase  which  leads  from  the  kitchen  to  the  chambers  above. 


122 


RURAL    HOMES. 


The  distribution  of  the  sleeping  apartments  will  be  seen  by 
reference  to  the  plan  of  the  chamber  floor. 


CHAMBER  PLAN. 

No.  1,  is  a  large  chamber,  the  same  size  as  the  drawing-room 
below ;  it  has  a  pleasant  balcony  over  the  projecting  southern 
window,  and  is  so  large  as  to  admit  readily  of  being  divided  into 
two  rooms  if  thought  better.  It  has  a  large  closet  as  shown  on 
plan,  provided  with  deep  cedar  drawers  for  preservation  of 
clothing  from  ravages  of  moths. 

No.  2,  is  of  the  same  size  nearly  as  the  boudoir  below. 


THE    SUBURBAN    VILLA.  123 

No.  3,  a  room  over  the  dining-room,  out  of  which  is  taken  a 
space  for  a  staircase  to  the  attics,  and  for  a  large  closet. 

No.  4,  a  chamber  over  the  library,  provided  with  pleasant 
balconies  on  the  eastern  and  southern  sides,  and  making  a  well- 
proportioned  and  very  cheerful  room,  being  higher  than  the 
other  chambers  on  this  floor,  in  order  to  give  sufficient  elevation 
to  the  tower. 

No.  5,  is  a  small  sleeping  or  dressing-room,  with  a  bath 
attached,  and  No.  6  is  a  pleasant  room  over  the  kitchen.  In  the 
attic  above  is  the  cool  and  airy  upper  story  room  of  the  tower, 
and  two  large,  well-ventilated  rooms  in  the  roof,  with  a  space  for 
drying  clothes,  and  for  storage  of  trunks,  etc.  The  whole  well 
lighted  and  protected  by  a  very  thickly  framed  and  covered  roof 
from  the  heat  of  the  sun.  Openings  are  constructed  for  the 
admission  of  properly  regulated  currents  of  air  across  the  space, 
so  that  the  dead  stagnation  of  close  atmosphere  generally  found 
in  attics  is  entirely  prevented. 

The  finish  of  this  house  throughout  is  of  the  highest  order, 
more  expense,  in  fact,  having  been  incurred  in  its  plate-glass, 
silvered  door-knobs,  registers,  polished  doors,  etc.,  etc.,  than 
many  would  care  to  undergo,  but  with  all  of  this  the  expense 
would  not  exceed  ten  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  to  erect  just 
such  another  building.  The  house  is  warmed  and  ventilated 
throughout  by  Janes'  Hot- Water  Apparatus,  a  mode  of  warming 
of  such  excellence,  that  a  chapter  especially  to  explain  its  princi 
ples  has  been  thought  desirable,  and  will  be  found  in  a  more 
advanced  portion  of  the  book. 

The  grounds  for  such  a  house  should  be  more  artistically 
dressed  than  the  more  extended  gardens  of  the  open  country, 
and  here  and  there  a  few  quiet  objects  of  art  in  the  way  of  seat, 


124  RURAL   HOMES. 

or  vase,  or  pedestal  may  be  scattered,  giving  connection  to  the 
house  and  grounds,  and  pleasant  points  of  rest  to  the  contempla 
tive  eye  from  within  or  during  an  out-door  stroll. 


THE     PARSONAGE. 


JHOUND     PLA  M  , 


s 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    PARSONAGE    HOUSE. 

MANY  a  rural  village,  now  but  a  pretty  assemblage  of  shading 
trees,  neatly  kept  streets,  and  cleanly  painted  houses,  might  be 
made  to  contain  points  of  absolute  beauty,  and  be  models  for 
imitation,  and  vehicles  for  teaching  the  simple  country  folk 
around, — if  they  possessed  but  each  one  an  appropriate  Parson 
age  House.  The  church  is  ungrudgingly  made  as  ornamental  as 
the  means  and  taste  of  the  villagers  will  allow ;  and  many  a 
meeting-house  that  finds  little  favor  in  the  eyes  of  the  more 
travelled  stranger  passing  through  the  place,  is  looked  upon  with 
a  pride  and  a  reverence  no  ways  inferior  in  intensity  to  the  feel 
ing  that  swells  the  heart  of  the  dweller  near  Trinity,  oy  the  resi 
dents  of  ancient  Cathedral  Close  in  church-abounding  Europe. 
Though  country  churches  I  could  say  a  good  deal  about,  I  must 
make  no  mention  of  them  here  ;  and  yet  are  they  not  to  many 
a  gentle  heart — rural  homes  ? 

But  the  glebe  house,  the  residence  for  the  pastor  of  the  flock, 
having,  in  common  with  the  houses  of  the  residents  of  the  vil 
lage,  the  same  necessities,  and  looked  upon  with  a  more  do- 


126  RURAL    HOMES. 

mestic  eye  than  could  be  its  church,  may  easily,  by  its  quiet, 
every-day  appeal,  draw  the  heart  closer  and  closer  to  the  person 
of  the  minister,  and  the  church  he  dwells  so  near.  No  secta 
rian  prejudices  need  bring  into  play  a  heap  of  objections  to 
this  ;  all  sects  who  have  a  church  in  which  to  gather  for  assem 
bled  worship,  and  a  settled  minister  among  them  to  follow  and 
to  love,  should  see  that  the  dwelling  of  the  pastor  is,  as  it  were, 
a  part  of  the  church  ;  for  most  sure  it  is  that  the  domestic  life 
and  teaching  of  the  man  are  worth  more  in  the  village  annals 
of  wavering  weak  ones  saved,  than  the  eloquence  or  the  fervor 
of  the  pulpit.  So  the  abode  of  that  teacher,  the  scene  of  his 
domestic  life  and  quiet  home-teaching,  should  be  as  cheerfully 
made  a  feature  in  the  village  scene  as  the  house  of  God. 

Moreover,  setting  apart  a  house  for  especial  occupancy  by  the 
minister  would  render  a  religious  community  more  permanent 
and  stable ;  for  provision  for  the  dwelling  amongst  them  of  a 
constant  guide,  as  long  as  buildings  framed  by  human  hands  can 
last,  would  be  so  serious  and  engrossingly  interesting  a  matter, 
no  light  breath  could  shake  the  stability  of  the  band  of  men 
who,  with  one  heart  and  mind,  lent  themselves  to  the  task. 

Therefore  will  I  assume  that  there  is  a  want  of  some  directions 
for  building  parsonage  houses,  and  that,  though  they  must,  for 
reasons  presently  to  be  given,  be  more  distinctive  than  other 
country  dwellings,  they  are  no  less  to  be  considered  and 
treated  as  rural  homes. 

The  parsonage  house  must  be  more  distinctive  in  its  character 
than  other  residences,  because  it  is,  in  the  fiwt  place,  set  apart 
for  a  particular  and  never  vaiying  occupancy,  and  because  it  is 
built  for  all  time.  The  tastes,  manners,  and  means  of  the  flock 
may  change,  but  only  so  much  as  necessarily  influenced  by  such 


THE    PARSONAGE    HOUSE.  127 

changes  need  parson-life  vary ;  for  stability  is  the  vital  element 
of  religious  teaching.  Then,  with  the  altered  tastes  and  manners 
would  come  altered  styles  and  fashions  in  building,  so  again 
must  a  distinctive  character  be  assigned  to  the  church's  house, 
based  on  principles  that,  like  that  church's  teaching,  know  "  no 
change  or  shadow  of  turning."  These  principles,  after  the 
remarks  I  have  made  upon  "  the  homestead,"  I  need  scarcely 
say,  are  fitness  and  honesty  of  constructive  purpose.  The  house 
is  wanted  for  the  residence  of  a  refined  and  intellectual  man, 
and  yet  one  whose  family  life  must  be  regulated  by  strictest,  yet 
elegant  economy.  To  meet  these  wants,  a  plan  must  be  contrived 
with  no  ordinary  care.  The  showy  rooms,  folding  doors,  and 
divided  parlors  of  the  houses  most  esteemed  by  the  villagers, 
must  not  be  thought  of  for  a  moment ;  nor,  on  the  other  hand, 
must  the  parsonage  be  a  mere  kitchen  and  keeping  room.  The 
student,  the  teacher,  the  hospitable  friend,  the  thrifty  house 
keeper,  must  be  conveniently  lodged — each  one  attribute  of 
parson-life  be  recognized  and  provided  for.  So  there  must  be 
the  inner  study  for  seclusion,  the  cheerful,  roomy  library  for 
earnest  talk,  the  ladies'  parlor  for  livelier  occupancy,  the  dining- 
room,  and  a  shaded  porch,  and  hospitably  spacious  hall. 
Kitchen  and  store  room,  pantry,  and  sleeping  rooms  are  more 
matters  of  course,  and  so  are  less  distinctive.  A  small  expenditure 
is  absolutely  essential,  and  even  where  the  church  has  been  a 
costly  structure,  there  seems  no  reason  that  the  parsonage  house 
should  be  other  than  a  simple,  honest  building.  If  the  house 
be  too  large,  it  will  inevitably  entail  expense  upon  its  clerical 
occupant ;  if  too  ornately  decorated,  it  will  be  a  constant  source 
of  outlay  to  the  parish.  An  expenditure  varying  from  two  to 
five  thousand  dollars  would  probably  cover  all  that  might  be 


128  RURAL   HOMES. 

requisite ;  and  as  the  arrangement  of  the  building  and  its  dis 
tinctive  character  are  what  I  would  dwell  upon  in  this  chapter, 
I  have  given  a  design  of  a  parsonage  house  suitable  to  almost 
every  situation  where  one  is  required. 

The  building  material  may  be  of  stone,  brick,  or  timber.  In 
the  particular  case  for  which  this  design  has  been  made,  stone  is 
the  material  selected ;  but,  with  some  slight  modification  of  the 
roof  on  the  front  gable,  a  timber  framed  construction  would  be 
perfectly  suitable.  The  cost  of  this  building,  if  executed  in  the 
manner  shown  in  the  accompanying  illustration,  would  be  a  little 
under  five  thousand  dollars  if  executed  in  a  substantial  manner 
in  stone ;  if  of  timber,  and  no  more  ornament  introduced  than 
the  exterior  view  presents,  its  cost  would  be  about  three 
thousand. 

The  external  character  of  the  design  is  of  that  simple,  quiet 
nature,  that  without  challenging  attention  by  any  very  marked 
or  peculiar  features,  or  by  a  severe  attention  to  the  restrictions 
of  any  one  style,  commands  attention  and  gives  pleasure  to  the 
passer  by.  As  it  would  stand  near  the  church,  which,  if  of 
stone,  would  probably  present  some  conformity  to  ancient  eccle 
siastical  architecture,  a  certain  congruity  of  outline  is  necessary 
between  the  soaring  tendency  of  the  lines  of  the  church  structure 
and  those  of  the  parsonage,  so  a  pointed  roof,  a  pyramidal 
arrangement  of  the  whole  mass  seem  necessaiy.  Hence,  the 
sharply  rising  front  gable,  which,  as  the  rough  masonry  of  which 
the  house  is  built,  would  permit  at  no  increased  expense  the 
picturesque  management  the  design  shows,  instead  of  being 
covered  by  a  projecting  roof,  is  built  in  steps,  behind  which  the 
roof  stops.  This,  though  perfectly  permissible  and  productive 
of  veiy  good  effect  in  stone,  would  be  out  of  place  in  a  wooden 


»•*  THE    PARSONAGE    HOUSE.  129 

building.  In  the  latter  the  roof  must  project  beyond  the  face  of 
the  wah1,  and  may  be  decorated  with  some  simple  and  durably- 
made  large  board,  or  be  left  plain,  with  only  a  heavy  roll  mould 
ing  as  a  cornice,  supported  by  blocks  or  moulded  corbels  placed 
at  intervals  of  a  foot  or  two  apart. 

The  distribution  of  the  rooms  on  the  principal  floor  will  be 
apparent  upon  examination  of  the  ground  plan. 

No.  1,  is  the  entrance  porch,  a  wide  and  open  covered  space 
in  which,  on  either  side,  should  be  an  ample  seat  for  hospitable 
resting  of  the  caller  at  the  house.  Within  is  the  entrance  hall, 
No.  2,  a  roomy  apartment,  nine  feet  by  sixteen,  at  right  angles 
to  which  is  the  staircase  hall,  and  passage  way,  to  kitchen  below. 
In  this  design  I  have  supposed  the  ground  so  to  fall  away  as  to 
allow  the  kitchen  and  domestic  offices  below,  but  in  any  other 
situation  where  such  an  arrangement  would  not  be  desirable, 
they  can  be  extended  in  a  wing  from  the  northern  side  of  the 
house. 

No.  3,  is  a  parlor  or  ladies'  room,  sixteen  by  thirteen,  the 
corners  of  which  are  cut  off,  to  form  in  one  end  a  fireplace,  and 
in  the  others  three  convenient  closets. 

No.  4,  is  a  large  library  or  principal  room,  both  for  general 
occupancy  and  for  reception  of  parishioners,  a  large  room  of  such 
a  nature  being  far  more  desirable  in  a  parsonage  house  than  a 
showy  drawing-room,  or  parlors  divided  by  folding-doors.  This 
room  is  sixteen  feet  by  twenty-five,  and  its  western  French  win 
dows  opening  on  to  a  large  veranda,  would  be  a  very  pleasant 
apartment.  Communicating  with  this,  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
be  thrown  into  it  at  any  time,  is  a  private  study  for  the  exclusive 
use  of  the  pastor.  This  room  is  sufficiently  large  for  such  a 
purpose,  being  sixteen  by  thirteen  feet,  and  the  wall  space  is 
6 


130 


RURAL    HOMES. 


ample  enough  to  afford  room  for  a  sufficiently  large  number 
of  books,  the  room  connected  with  it  being  also  furnished  with 
book-cases.  Annexed  to  this  is  a  back  porch,  which,  as  being 
nearest  the  church,  would  be  the  readiest  entrance  to  the 
minister's  study,  and  would  give  seclusion  and  private  access  to 
the  room. 

No.  8,  is  the  dining-room,  the  door  of  which  is  immediately 
at  the  head  of  the  stairs  from  the  kitchen,  or,  if  the  offices  be 
contained  in  a  wing,  a  pantry  could  be  constructed  to  take  the 
place  of  the  porch,  No.  7,  and  thus  connect  with  the  kitchen. 
The  dining-room  is  fifteen  by  seventeen,  exclusive  of  the  pro 
jecting  window,  and  as  its  aspect  is  east,  would  be  cheerful  and 
pleasant.  The  arrangement  of  this  floor,  it  is  thought,  would  be 
found  very  convenient  for  the  purposes  for  which  the  house  is 
intended,  and  the  space  has  been  economised  as  much  as  possible 
to  secure  the  results  desired. 

The  sleeping-rooms  are  contained  in  the  floor  above,  a  plan 
of  which  will  show  their  arrangement. 


PAUBONAGE  HOUS 


THE    PARSONAGE    HOUSE.  131 

No.  1,  is  a  chamber  over  the  dining-room,  and  of  the  same 
size  ;  it  is  provided  with  two  large  closets,  and  attached  to  it  is 
a  smaller  room,  No.  9,  over  the  hall,  which  would  serve  as  a 
dressing-room,  or  is  sufficiently  large  for  a  child's  sleeping-apart 
ment. 

No.  3,  is  over  the  ladies'  room  below,  and  has  in  it  a  roomy 
closet. 

Nos.  4,  5,  and  6,  are  conveniently  arranged  sleeping-rooms 
over  the  library  and  study  below.  In  the  attic,  formed  by  the 
high  pitch  of  the  roof,  could  easily  be  made  at  least  two  airy  and 
good-sized  sleeping-rooms,  lighted  and  ventilated  by  windows 
in  the  gables  at  the  east,  west,  and  south. 

If  thought  advisable,  a  bathing  apparatus  might  be  placed 
in  the  dressing-room,  No.  2. 

The  accommodation  comprised  in  this  building  is  all  that  its 
purpose  would  require,  or  might  be  increased  somewhat  if  the 
domestic  offices  were  contained  in  a  wing  instead  of  in  a  base 
ment  below  the  main  house.  If  in  a  wing,  the  rooms  in  its 
second  story  could  obtain  in  addition  to  servants'  sleeping-rooms 
a  bath-room  and  water-closet,  leaving  No.  2  as  a  private  dressing- 
room  to  the  chamber  with  which  it  connects. 

Other  plans  might  be  made  which  would  give  the  desired 
accommodation,  but  this  has  seemed  to  me  to  contain  all  the 
requisites  of  a  simple,  substantial,  parsonage  house,  and  has  been 
designed  to  form  not  only  a  building  suited  to  the  pastoral  wants 
of  its  occupants,  but  to  be  to  them  and  theirs,  at  all  seasons, 
a  rural  home. 


CHAPTER  X. 

SOUTHERN    HOMES. 

A  HOME  in  the  sunny  south  is  a  very  different  thing  to 
arrange  to  one  suited  to  a  northern  clime.  Space  for  free  ingress 
and  egress  of  occasional  breeze — space,  too,  that  can  be  con 
vertible  into  habitable  apartments,  is  the  first  element.  Compact 
ness  is  only  valuable,  as  securing  economy  in  construction,  and 
as  affording  convenient  nearness  of  relation  in  all  the  constituent 
parts  of  the  building.  Life  out  of  doors  is  not  the  .necessity  that 
has  to  be  met,  as  affording  cool  retreat  from  summer's  sun,  but 
shaded  retirement  within.  Therefore,  what  in  a  northern  house 
would  be  an  ample  provision  of  architectural  shade,  in  the  shape 
of  veranda,  porch,  and  ombra,  does  not  constitute  all  that  has 
to  be  thought  of  in  planning  the  agremens  of  a  southern  home. 

The  elements  of  construction,  too,  are  widely  different;  the 
roof  of  the  northern  building  has  to  withstand,  at  times,  a  direct 
pressure  from  the  weight  of  accumulated  snows;  that  of  the 
southern  has  to  resist  lateral  assaults  of  tornado  and  heavy  winds. 
These  influences  exert  a  corresponding  sway  upon  the  material 
embodiment  of  the  other  parts  of  the  design.  The  walls  have 


SOUTHERN    HOMES.  133 

to  be  strong,  yet  pierced  with  larger  openings  for  doors,  windows, 
etc.;  and  light — because  wood,  the  material  generally  used, 
derives  its  strength  from  scientific  framing,  and  with  liability  to 
sudden  strains,  mere  weight  would  only  tend  to  weaken.  To 
give  these  remarks  a  practical  bearing,  I  would  say  that  a  roof 
of  high  pitch  is  indispensable,  not  only  on  account  of  its  slope, 
allowing  a  shingle  covering,  which  will  be  lighter  and  cooler  than 
oae  of  metal  or  slate,  but  in  order  that  its  sides  may  not  be 
injured  by  sudden  and  violent  wind-storms,  which  in  southern 
countries  are  of  more  or  less  frequent  occurrence.  The  roof 
should  project  at  the  eaves  and  over  the  gables,  the  rafters  being 
brought  down  and  supported  by  struts  or  brackets,  which,  pinned 
into  the  principals  or  posts  of  the  frame  of  the  building,  will 
lessen  the  thrust  of  the  roof,  and  prevent  its  spread.  The  win 
dows  should  be  large,  and  above  all  things,  should  nearly  occupy 
the  entire  height  of  the  room,  so  that  ventilation  may  equally  be 
applied  to  the  ceiling  and  the  floor.  The  doors,  both  external 
and  internal,  should  be  double,  one  being  a  close-pannelled, 
ordinary  door,  and  the  other  with  slats  that  will  open  to  admit 
a  current  of  air,  and  at  the  same  time  give  seclusion  to  the  room. 
All  the  doors  and  windows  should,  for  pomfortable  habitancy  of 
the  house,  be  provided  with  folding-frames,  lightly  made,  and 
covered  with  netting,  either  of  wire,  gauze,  or  muslin,  to  exclude 
those  flying  torments  that  infest  a  southern  home. 

The  internal  arrangement  and  distribution  of  the  rooms  should 
be  such,  as  that  the  kitchens  and  domestic  offices  may  be  cut  off 
from  the  main  dwelling,  and  yet  be  so  near  as  to  allow  all  the 
machinery  of  living  to  be  fully  attended  to  ;  the  dining  or  living- 
room  may  be  on  the  side  nearest  the  kitchen  buildings,  and, 
connecting  them  together,  may  be  an  airy,  well-lighted  vestibule, 


134  RURAL    HOMES. 

containing  on  the  one  side  a  waiters'-pantry,  so  arranged  as  to 
open  upon  the  sideboard  in  the  dining-room.  This  pantry  must 
farther  have  a  direct  communication  with  the  kitchen,  or  with  a 
serving-room  attached  thereto.  The  other  side  of  the  vestibule 
should  contain  spacious  store,  china,  and  glass-rooms.  Below 
this,  should  be  a  large  cellar,  artificially  ventilated,  (of  which, 
more  anon,)  in  which  wine,  fruits,  meat,  and  vegetables  may  be 
stored.  The  kitchen  buildings  must  be  much  lighter,  and  more 
spacious  than  anything  that  would  be  contrived  for  a  northern 
home ; — in  fact,  the  domestics  require,  as  it  were,  a  distinct 
house,  and  a  separate  establishment.  Nothing  could  be  made 
prettier  than  a  roomy  block  of  kitchen  buildings,  with  the 
little  cots  of  the  colored  servants  artistically  grouped  around. 

The  house  itself  should  have  wide  and  spacious  halls, — 
spacious  only,  however,  where  ventilation  can  be  served  ; — other 
wise,  merely  loss  of  room.  Halls  running  across  each  other,  their 
ends  by  sliding  screens  at  any  time  convertible  into  separated 
apartments,  form  a  good  basis  upon  which  to  begin  the  design 
for  the  ground  plan  of  the  house. 

The  plan  annexed  shows  the  arrangement  of  the  rooms.  A 
wide  and  airy  veranda  surrounds  the  house,  stopping  at  the  con 
necting  building  between  the  main  house  and  the  domestic 
offices. 

No.  1  is  a  wide  hall  running  clear  through  the  building  and 
opening  by  means  of  double-doors,  (provided  also  with  Venetian 
blind  doors  within,)  upon  the  veranda  floor. 

No..  2  is  the  library,  a  spacious  and  airy  room  opening  en  suite 
by  means  of  double-doors  with  the  boudoir,  No.  3,  and  thence 
with  the  drawing-room,  No.  4.  The  boudoir  or  vestibule  is 
made  with  wide  folding-doors  shutting  it  out  from  the  entrance 


SOUTHERN    HOMES. 


136 


hall,  so  that,  as  occasion  needed,  the  entire  space  might  be  thrown 
open. 


SOTTTHEBN  HOTTBB.— GBOUND  PLAN. 


No.  5  is  the  dining-room,  of  the  same  large  size  as  the  library 
and  drawing-room  on  the  other  side  of  the  entrance  halL 


136  RURAL    HOMES. 

No  6  is  a  large  chamber,  eighteen  by  sixteen,  with  an  alcove 
at  its  one  end  to  contain  a  bed,  and  communicating  therewith  is 
a  dressing  and  bath-room,  No.  7. 

No.  8  is  a  gentlemen's  dressing  and  wash-room,  opposite  the 
dining-room  door,  and  its  entrance  being  under  the  staircase,  it 
would  be  secluded  and  yet  easily  reached. 

No.  9  is  a  large  hall  closet  for  hats,  shoes,  etc.,  and  adjoining 
it  is  a  smaller  closet  for  brooms  and  other  articles  in  daily  use. 

No.  10  is  a  corridor  leading  from  the  dwelling  portion  of  the 
house  to  the  kitchen  buildings,  and  contains  a  back  flight  of 
stairs  to  the  chamber  floor. 

No.  11,  a  large  pantry  filled  with  shelves,  and  every  con 
venience  for  a  waiter. 

No.  12,  a  light  and  airy  room,  containing  presses  for  china, 
glass,  and  such  dry  stores  as  would  be  desirable. 

No.  13,  a  serving-room,  whence  the  servants  would  convey  tho 
dishes  to  the  waiters'-pantry,  from  which  room  they  would  be  at 
once  placed  upon  the  sideboard  or  table  in  the  dining-room. 

No.  14  is  a  very  large  irregularly  octagonal  kitchen  with  the 
cooking  apparatus  in  the  centre,  and  No.  15,  is  a  servants'  hall, 
or  outer  room,  connecting  with  which  may  be  a  laundry  and  such 
other  domestic  offices  as  southern  life  may  need.  The  pecu 
liarities  of  the  plan  are  space,  simplicity  of  arrangement,  and 
facilities  for  ventilation.  Independently  of  the  natural  means 
the  arrangement  of  the  plan  would  afford  of  securing  the  latter, 
artificial  aid  is  offered  in  the  following  construction  of  the  kitchen 
fire-places.  These  are  shown  built  around  a  large  octagonal  flue, 
and  a  view  of  the  exterior  will  exhibit  this  flue  carried  above  the 
roof  of  the  kitchen  in  a  somewhat  formidable  manner.  The  inner 
flue  is  for  purposes  of  ventilation ;  and  the  action  of  the  air  con- 


SOUTHERN    HOMES.  Io7 

tained  in  it  operated  upon  by  the  heat  communicated  thereto  by 
the  surrounding  smoke-flues  from  the  kitchen  fire-places,  could 
draw  off  with  considerable  force  the  contents  of  all  air-ducts 
opening  therein.  The  base  of  the  tower  contains  a  ventilator  for 
the  especial  cooling  and  purification  of  the  kitchen  and  its 
adjoining  buildings,  and  its  action  is  as  simple  as  it  would  be 
effective.  The  floors  and  ceilings  of  the  main  portion  of  the 
house  should  have  air-ducts  leading  into  downward  shafts  con 
necting  with  the  ventilating  shaft,  and  they  might  be  led  along 
and  concealed  in  the  roof  over  the  connecting  building  between 
the  house  and  kitchen  wing. 

The  rooms  on  this  floor  in  the  dwelling  part  of  the  house  are 
fourteen  feet  and  a  half  high ;  and  in  order  to  show  the  whole 
of  the  house,  the  plan  is  drawn  to  half  the  scale  of  other  designs 
in  this  book,  beiflg  to  a  scale  of  a  fortieth  of  an  inch  to  a  foot. 
On  the  floor  above  would  be  very  spacious  chambers,  and  the 
plan  would  cut  up  into  a  great  number.  In  the  centre,  the 
principal  stairway  would  enter  upon  an  upper  hall  ten  by  twelve, 
which,  carried  up  into  the  roof,  and  then  beyond  it,  as  a  species 
of  tower,  would  give  an  airy  and  pleasant  circulation  to  the  inner 
atmosphere  of  the  house.  Bath  rooms  might  be  got  from  off 
the  first  landing  of  the  staircase,  over  the  dressing-rooms  and 
bathing-rooms  below,  which,  not  needing  to  be  higher  than  ten 
or  eleven  feet,  would  afford  ample  space  above  for  these  desirable 
means  of  comfort.  The  distribution  of  the  chamber  floor  being 
so  evidently  dependent  upon  the  partitions  of  the  plan  below,  I 
have  not  given  a  separate  plan. 

This  would  make  a  house  of  the  dimensions  of  seventy  feet 
front  by  fifty-two  deep.  The  roof  should  hip  up  all  ways  towards 
the  central  projection,  and  the  chimneys  of  the  building  might 


138  RURAL    HOMES. 

easily  all  be  so  gathered  as  to  form  turrets  to  flank  the  species 
of  tower  that  I  suppose  occupying-  the  middle  of  the  roof. 

The  material  I  have  most  frequently  found  used  is  wood. 
The  style  suitable  for  such  a  building  would  be  one  admitting 
greatest  breadth  of  effect  and  simplicity  of  detail.  Any  one 
of  the  styles  I  have  described  in  former  pages  could  be  easily 
modified  to  meet  the  requirements  in  such  a  case.  The  Italian 
would  probably  be  the  most  appropriate.  Its  peculiarities  and 
its  genius  would  seem  more  in  character  under  a  southern  sky 
and  amid  southern  scenery  than  any  other. 

The  veranda  should  be  extended  clear  round  the  front,  rear, 
and  flank,  to  where  the  kitchen  buildings  join  on,  their  projection 
being  hidden  by  a  thick  screen  of  flowering  shrubs.  The  southern 
veranda  •  has  already  been  incidentally  mentioned,  and  the  pro 
vision  of  one  on  the  northern  side  must  depend  upon  the  peculiar 
situation  of  the  house.  Not  being  a  necessity,  as  those  on  the 
other  sides  are,  I  do  not  insist  upon  it  here. 

The  perfect  ventilation  of  such  a  building  will  constitute  its 
most  habitable  excellence.  This  can  be  secured  by  proper 
arrangement  of  doors  and  windows,  and  by  artificial  assistance, 
in  the  way  of  air-flues,  discharging  above  the  roof,  and  their 
openings  into  the  rooms  provided  with  the  Berrian's  ventilating 
valve,  which  has  been  so  often  referred  to  in  previous  pages. 
One  material  aid  to  the  maintenance  of  a  cool  and  equitable 
temperature  in  the  house  will  be  in  the  perfect  ventilation  of  its 
veranda.  Though  it  would  seem,  as  this  is  always  so  open,  that 
nothing  more  could  be  done,  those  persons  who  are  willing  to 
make  the  experiment  with  their  thermometer  will  be  surprised 
to  find  how  much  higher  the  temperature  of  the  air  immediately 
under  the  ceiling  of  the  veranda  is,  than  that  at  the  same  alti- 


SOUTHERN    HOMES.  139 

tude  within  the  rooms.  This  is,  naturally  enough,  caused  by 
refraction,  and  by  the  accumulating  pressure  of  ascending  heated 
air.  Unless  some  means  of  escape  be  made  for  this,  much  of  it 
must  find  its  way  into  the  rooms.  This  can  be  done  by  making 
in  the  veranda  roof  occasional  openings  against  the  wall,  at  such 
points  where  chamber  windows  do  not  open  immediately  thereon. 

Provide  over  these  apertures  small  projecting  pent-roofs,  to 
protect  from  the  effects  of  rain ;  make  them  about  six  inches 
wide,  and  three  to  four  feet  long,  and  at  intervals  of  ten  to  twelve 
feet. 

The  cost  of  such  a  building  would  greatly  vary  in  different 
portions  of  the  southern  states ;  but,  unless  unusual  difficulties 
in  the  way  of  procuring  efficient  workmen  prevented,  the  expen 
diture  needed  to  erect  it  in  a  thoroughly  substantial  and  well 
finished  manner  would  not  exceed  thirteen  thousand  dollars,  and 
in  some  situations  would  not  require  more  than  from  eleven  to 
twelve.  But  this  is  a  larger  and  more  expensive  house  than  is 
frequently  needed.  I  will  proceed,  therefore,  to  the  description 
of  one  on  an  entirely  different  scale. 

The  principle  on  which  the  success  of  a  design  for  a  small 
southern  home  will  depend,  appeal's  to  me  to  be  its  perfect 
adaptation  to  purposes  of  ventilation.  Convenience  of  arrange 
ment,  and  economical  distribution  of  the  space  contained  within 
its  boundary  walls,  can  be  obtained  by  study  of  houses  around  ; 
but  the  means  of  procuring  satisfactory  circulation  of  air  is  not 
so  easily  determined.  A  house  on  a  small  scale — of  which,  say 
the  accommodation  would  be  found  sufficient  with  four  principal 
rooms  on  each  floor — might  very  economically  and  advantage 
ously  be  arranged  in  the  form  of  a  cross. 

The  plan  would,  in  fact,  show  four  apartments,  all  radiating 


140  RURAL   HOMES. 

from  a  centre,  that  centre  containing  the  escape  flues  for  smoke, 
and  the  fire-places  of  each  of  the  rooms,  together  with  provision 
for  means  of  artificial  ventilation,  of  which  latter  I  will  presently 


But  the  rooms  thus  coming  together  to  a  centre,  would  require 
a  space  left  from  which  to  radiate,  amounting  to  a  cube  of  the 
width  of  their  ends ;  this  would  waste  room.  I  would  propose, 
therefore,  that  the  corners  of  the  rooms  so  connecting  be  cut  off, 
leaving  the  inner  end  of  the  form  of  a  half  octagon.  The  cube, 
then,  would  only  be  that  of  the  straight  side  of  the  octagon  ;  say 
five  feet  square,  sufficient  to  contain  all  flues  and  ventiducts,  and 
making  an  economical  arrangement  for  the  rooms.  Passage 
ways  would  be  saved  by  the  ends  thus  coming  together,  one 
room  opening  into  the  other  by  a  door  placed  in  the  sloping  side. 
Taking  this  cross-form  as  that  for  the  plan  of  the  house,  I  will 
attempt  a  description  of  such  a  home  in  detail. 

Take  a  block  thirty-six  feet  long  by  fourteen  feet  wide ;  let 
this  represent  the  transom  of  the  cross  ;  a  block  eighteen  feet 
long  and  sixteen  wide  would  form  the  lower  portion  of  the  stem, 
and  one  of  similar  dimensions  the  upper.  These  would  intersect 
the  transom  in  the  middle,  thus  leaving  the  latter  to  project  ten 
feet  on  either  side.  The  transom  points  west  to  east,  and  the 
entrance  is  in  its  eastern  end.  A  large  parlor  runs  south, 
entered  from  the  entrance  hall  through  the  angular  side ;  and, 
jutting  out  west,  also  so  communicating  with  the  parlor,  is  the 
dining-room.  On  the  north,  connected  through  a  pantry  with 
the  dining-room,  are  the  kitchen  and  domestic  offices.  This 
comprises  the  general  distribution  of  the  rooms  on  the  ground 
floor.  I  will  now  speak  of  them  in  detail. 

On  the  ground-plan,  No.  1  is  the  entrance  hall ;  No.  2,  a 


m 


SOUTHERN  HOUSE— for  a  small  Family— Elevation,    p.  143. 


A  SOU 


SOUTHERN    HOMES. 


141 


large  and  well  lighted  closet ;  No.  3,  the  principal  parlor ;  No. 
4,  the  dining  room ;    No.   6,  a  large  and  light  pantry,  with 


SMALL  SOUTHERN  HOUSE. — GBOTTND  PLAN. 

space  for  store  and  china  closets ;  No.  5,  the  kitchen ;  No.  7,  the 
scullery,  in  which,  if  a  cellar  were  excavated,  might  be  the  stair 
case  leading  thereto. 

In  the  entrance  hall  is  situated  the  staircase,  running  up  with 
an  easy  curve,  concentric  with  the  half  octagon  end  of  the 
apartment.  Under  the  stairway  is  a  large  hall  closet,  and  in  the 
hall  is  an  enclosed  vestibule,  and  an  entrance  to  the  kitchen. 
The  hall  would  made  a  pleasant  third  room,  particularly  for 
afternoon  occupancy,  the  sun  being  entirely  off  its  sides,  and  the 
enclosing  screen  forming  the  entrance  vestibule  could  be  made  to 
fold  back,  and  framed  with  slats,  as  a  Venetian  blind.  From 
this  projecting  ten  feet  of  the  transom,  a  terrace  floor  would  run 
round  on  three  sides  of  the  parlor,  stopping  against  the  corres 
ponding  projection  on  the  west. 

This  terrace  would  be  screened  from  the  sun  by  a  peculiarity 
in  the  construction  .of  the  roof,  which  I  propose  should  run 
straight  through  from  north  to  south — not  broken  out  at  tho 


142  RURAL    HOMES. 

projecting  portions  east  and  west,  but  extending  clear  over  them, 
and  continued  the  necessary  width  all  along.  Thus,  over  those 
portions  of  the  building  setting  back,  the  roof  would  extend  ten 
feet  or  more — thirteen  in  fact,  as  the  projecting  ends  would 
require  at  least  three  feet  to  protect  them  ;  and  this  projection 
of  roof  would  shade  the  terrace  below.  On  the  southern  side, 
where  the  gable  of  the  roof  would  show,  I  would  propose  a  floor, 
on  the  level  of  the  chamber  floor,  extended  over  the  terrace 
below,  making  a  more  effectual  shade,  and  giving  a  pleasant 
walk  out  from  the  bed-room.  The  roof  might,  at  the  gable  ends, 
(it  would  not  require  to  project  over  more  than  three  feet  on  the 
northern  end,)  be  supported  by  rustic  posts,  with  interlacing 
knotted  limbs  between,  at  their  upper  ends ;  the  whole  with  the 
bark  on,  nailed  with  copper  nails,  and  preserved  by  varnish. 

In  the  centre,  the  chimneys  so  gathered  together  would  allow 
a  large  flue  in  their  midst  for  ventilation.  The  fire  necessary  at 
some  portion  of  each  day  for  culinary  operations,  would  give  suf 
ficient  heat  to  one  of  the  brick  or  tile  sides  of  this  flue,  to  cause 
a  radiation,  and  consequently  an  upward  tendency  to  the  column 
of  air  within  the  central  shaft.  This  shaft  must  be  made  to  com 
municate  with  each  of  the  rooms  by  apertures  above  the  floor, 
and  under  the  ceiling  of  each  room.  In  the  upper  one  must  be 
inserted  one  of  the  Berrian's  useful  little  valve  boxes  so  often 
alluded  to ;  and  by  carrying  the  central  shaft  above  the  other 
flues,  and  capping  it  with  one  of  Janes  and  Beebe's  Ejecters,  a 
rapid  current  will  always  be  found  therein,  and  the  heated  air 
and  used-up  gases  be  readily  drawn  off  from  each  room. 

The  chamber  accommodation  on  the  floor  above  would  com 
prise  one  large  bed-room  over  the  parlor,  one  over  the  dining- 
room,  two  over  the  kitchen,  and  a  small  one  off  the  hall,  the 


SOUTHERN    HOMES. 


143 


stair-case  not  requiring  the  whole  of  the  space.  If  needed, 
additional  attic  rooms  might  easily  be  obtained  in  the  roof,  as 
the  pitch  necessarily  made  for  a  shingle  covering  would,  in  a 
house  of  such  a  span,  afford  considerable  space  within  its  frame 
for  any  such  arrangement. 


CHAMBER  PLAN. 

In  the  Chamber  Plan,  No.  1  is  a  large  room  over  the  parlor, 
one  of  its  sides  being  left  square,  for  the  sake  of  forming  a  more 
convenient  shape  for  a  bed.  The  windows  of  this  room  would 
open  upon  the  balcony  floor,  as-  would  also  those  of  chamber 
No.  2,  and  the  one  in  the  hall,  No.  7. 

No.  2  has  a  convenient  recess  for  a  bed,  against  the  pier  neces 
sary  for  a  chimney  and  ventilating  shaft  in  the  centre  of  the 
building,  and  connected  with  this  room  is  a  roomy  dressing  room, 
No.  3.  No.  4  is  a  large  and  pleasant  room  for  servants  (unless 
the  space  in  the  attic  be  converted  into  one  or  two  sleeping- 
rooms,)  and  is  over  the  kitchen.  No.  5  is  a  good  sized  bathing 
and  dressing-room ;  Nos.  6,  6,  are  large  and  airy  closets,  for 
linen  and  other  clothes  ;  and  No.  7  .is  the  hall  or  vestibule,  which, 


144  RURAL    HOMES. 

by  reason  of  its  pleasantly  embayed  window,  would  be  a  charm 
ing  place  to  sit  in  for  the  lady  of  the  house. 

A  home  constructed  upon  this  plan,  with  simple  rustic  posts 
supporting  the  roof  and  veranda  floors,  with  the  battened  sides 
and  with  sharp  roof,  would  look  highly  picturesque,  and  be  of 
moderate  cost.  Here  it  would  require  an  expenditure  of  about 
sixteen  hundred  dollars. 


CHAPTER  XL 

COTTAGES. 

IN  that  pleasantest  of  all  country-written  books — Rural 
Hours,  the  observant  authoress  dots  down  a  series  of  observa 
tions  upon  rural  architecture,  so  terse  and  pertinent,  that,  but 
for  its  length,  I  would  like  to  quote  the  entire  chapter.  In  a 
sketch  of  the  several  architectural  eras  that  tha  history  of  this 
countiy  could  show,  she  defines  so  admirably  the  transition,  step 
by  step,  from  the  log-cabin  ; — "  its  very  opposite,  the  lank  and 
lean  style,  the  shallow  order,  which  aimed  at  rising  far  above  the 
lowly  log-cottage ;  proud  of  a  tall  front  and  two  stories  ;  proud 
of  twice  too  many  windows :  but  quite  indifferent  to  all  rules 
and  proportions;  to  all  appearance  of  comfort  and  snugness." 
Then,  next  in  order,  the  "  shallow-ornate,  assuming  the  Grecian 
portico,  running  up  sometimes  one  wing,  sometimes  two  ;  pipe- 
stem  columns  one-fiftieth  of  their  height  in  diameter,  and  larger, 
perhaps,  in  the  centre  than  at  either  extremity,  stand  trembling 
beneath  a  pediment  which,  possibly,  contains  a  good-sized  bed 
room,  with  a  window  in  the  apex.  Such  buildings  are  frequently 
surrounded  with  a  very  fanciful  paling  of  one  sort  or  other.  One 


140  RURAL    HOMES. 

looks  into  the  barn-yard  of  such  a  house  with  anxious  misgivings, 
lest  the  geese  should  be  found  all  neck,  the  cocks  all  tail,  the 
pigs  with  longer  noses,  the  ponies  with  longer  ears  than  are 
usually  thought  becoming."  Then  comes  the  "  plain  straight 
forward  style,"  and  succeeding  to  this,  "  new  wooden  cottages, 
which,  in  the  anxiety  of  the  architect  to  escape  the  shallow,  err 
in  the  opposite  extreme,  and  look  oppressively  heavy,  as  though 
the  roof  must  weigh  upon  the  spirits  of  those  it  covers."  Finally, 
the  last  change  that  the  piquant  writer  I  am  quoting  sees,  is  the 
introduction  of  a  few  "  Rural  Gothic  and  Elizabethan"  cottages, 
"  which  have  grown  rapidly  into  favor  about  the  suburbs  of  large 
towns."  These  seem  to  have  made  great  impression  upon  the 
region  whence  the  writer  dates,  and  before  leaving  the  agreeable 
pages  of  this  delightful  volume,  I  would  direct  my  readeVs 
attention  to  the  chapter  from  which  I  have  quoted.  In  the 
large  edition,  illustrated,  it  will  be  found  in  page  380. 

The  expression  of  character  in  a  simple  country  dwelling  is  an 
effect  that  would  seem  difficult*  to  attain.  In  rural  districts,  one 
pervading  genius  always  seems  to  have  inspired  the  production 
of  the  whole  of  the  buildings  recently  erected.  One  may  be  a 
little  larger  or  differently  painted  than  the  other,  but  the  general 
type  appears  identical.  Near  a  railroad,  particularly  if  one  on 
which  the  stations  have  been  made  "  tasty,"  the  fashion  most  in 
vogue  is  a  species  of  Gothic,  thin  and  ineffective  in  reality,  but 
pleasing  to  the  builders  from  the  inch-board  finery  and  wooden 
insertion- work  they  are  able  to  stick  about.  These  cottages  are 
mostly  cheaply  built,  and  will  last  their  time  ;  meanwhile,  they 
do  good  by  directing  attention  to  the  desirableness  of  giving  a 
building  some  external  character  and  appearance  suited  to  the 
scenery  amid  which  it  stands,  and  as  country  people  ar* 


COTTAGES.  147 

beginning  to  learn  of  themselves  that  such  houses  look  bald  and 
bare  without  tree-shade  surrounding  them,  and  creepers  festoon 
ing  their  fronts,  a  point  in  advance  is  evidently  gained.  Gradu 
ally  may  be  seen  stealing  over,  first  one  and  then  another  of 
such  cottages,  changes  that,  although  the  type  and  prevailing 
characteristics  are  similar  enough,  begin  to  mark  a  difference  and 
an  individuality ;  so  that,  ere  long,  the  features  all  possess  in 
common  will  be  so  softened  down  and  differently  treated  that  an 
expression  of  individual  character  will  be  marked  upon  each. 

In  the  smaller  cottage  houses  this  is  most  to  be  desired — 
larger  houses  are  built  more  generally  under  different  circum 
stances  and  in  accordance  with  particular  tastes,  and  hence  are 
becoming  far  less  uniform  hi  treatment,  but  village  buildings, 
mostly  erected  four  or  five  in  a  batch,  have  too  many  require 
ments  in  common  to  be  susceptible  in  the  minds  of  their  builders 
of  any  very  great  variety. 

Nothing  an  architect  can  employ  himself  upon  requires,  in 
fact,  closer  attention  and  more  careful  study  than  a  design  for  a 
cheap  and  simple  country  cottage — there  is  such  a  temptation 
to  prettinesses,  whimsicality,  and  the  false  picturesque,  and  yet 
there  is  no  lack  of  examples  of  what  a  cottage  home  should  be, 
and  no  excuse,  with  Mr.  Downing's  excellent  works  in  such 
extensive  circulation,  in  not  knowing  what  it  may  be. 

A  cottage  home  should  be  compact,  for  land  generally  cannot 
be  spared  for  a  building  much  spread  upon  the  ground — it 
••ihould  be  simple  in  its  architectural  character,  too  much  detail 
lot  only  involving  a  large  outlay  at  first  but  needing  constant 
fend  expensive  repairs  ;  it  should  be  roomy,  that  is,  spacious  by 
relative  arrangement  of  the  rooms  rather  than  by  their  actual 
size ;  it  should  be  naturally  ventilated  by  certain  circulation  of 


148  RURAL    HOMES. 

its  atmosphere  within,  then  will  it  be  sweet  and  healthy.  Its 
walls  should  be  protected  by  ks  roof,  its  windows  by  artificial 
Bhade  in  the  way  of  some  simple  and  inexpensive  veranda,  and 
its  windows  should  be  contrived  more  in  reference  to  admission 
of  light  and  fresh  air,  than  to  the  old  fashioned  method  once  so 
fashionable,  of  crowding  every  side  of  a  house  with  glazed 
openings.  I  have  often  been  amused  at  the  ingenuity  evinced 
in  some  old,  unaltered  building,  in  filling  it  with  windows, 
making  it  a  huge  lantern,  or  rather,  in  a  hot  summer  sun,  a  huge 
forcing-house.  I  wonder  how  the  sturdy  Puritans  of  old  fared 
in  such  hot-houses,  and  whether  they  found  them  conducive  to 
vigorous  growth  ;  perhaps,  as  a  friend  once  wittily  suggested,  by 
such  means  were  raised  the  "  early  Christians  we  read  about." 
A  room  filled  with  windows  is  unpleasant  on  account  of  the 
cross  lights  ;  uncomfortable  on  account  of  the  reflected  heat  of  so 
much  glass  ;  and  difficult  to  furnish  for  the  want  of  some  wall 
spaces  for  table  or  sofa, 

A  cottage  home  suited  to  the  neighborhood  of  some  small 
country  town,  and  indicative  of  refinement  and  taste  on  the  part 
of  its  occupants,  may  be  made  a  very  pleasing  feature  in  the 
landscape.  The  illustration  given  here  represents  such  a  building, 
and  I  will  proceed  to  describe  it  in  detail,  premising  that  its  cost 
being  but  fourteen  hundred  dollars,  it  would  be  found  within  the 
means  of  most  persons  desiring  such  a  house.  ( See  next  page.) 

The  character  of  the  exterior  is  architectural,  partaking  some 
thing  o^  the  Rural  Italian.  Its  low  walls,  overshadowing  roof, 
wide  veranda,  and  projecting  ombra  in  its  southern  front,  give  it 
an  appearance  of  symmetry  and  refinement  that  adapts  it  to  tha 
occupancy  of  a  family  of  elegance  and  taste.  The  material  of 
which  it  may  be  constructed  may  be  stone,  brick,  or  wood.  If 


COTTAGES. 


149 


of  stone,  no  cliange  may  be  made  in  its  form  or  the  nature  of  its 
details,  unless  perhaps  making  them  heavier,  and  their  marked 
features  still  more  bold.  If  of  brick,  I  would  merely  add  a  pro 
jecting  face,  one  brick  wide  and  projecting  two  inches  round  all 


ELEVATION. — SFBUBBAN  COTTAGB. 

of  the  windows,  and  a  band  running  horizontally  below  the 
brackets  or  cantilevers  of  the  roof  about  a  foot  deep,  upon  which 
they  may  rest.  If  of  wood,  the  covering  should  be  clap-boarding 
or  smooth  ceiling,  not  battens  and  perpendicular  planking,  as  the 
leading  characteristics  of  the  composition  are  horizontal  lines,  and 
would  be  contradicted  by  any  other  direction  in  the  lines  of  the 
covering.  The  roof,  of  sufficiently  steep  a  slope  to  carry  off  all 
water  or  snow,  should  be  shingled,  and  the  gable  over  the  centre 
of  the  southern  front  be  made  water-tight  with  metal  strips  in 
the  valley  formed  by  its  intersection  with  the  slope  of  the  main 
roof.  The  chimneys,  formed  of  brick,  rise  in  simple  form  from 


150 


RURAL    HOMES. 


the  ridge,  and  as  they  have  no  portion  of  the  roof  or  building 
higher  than  themselves,  need  not  extend  above  the  ridge  more 
than  sufficient  to  ensure  good  proportion  of  height  to  width. 

Before  proceeding  farther  with  the  exterior  of  the  building,  I 
will  describe  the  plan. 


GROUND  PLAN. — SUBURBAN  COTTAGE. 

A  peculiarity  in  this  design  is  in  the  projecting  half-octagon 
porch  or  ombra,  which,  from  its  position,  serves  the  double  pur 
pose  of  a  delightful  and  cool  retreat,  and  that  of  an  entrance-hall 
— it  is  marked  on  the  plan,  No.  1.  In  the  winter,  its  sides 
might  be  filled  with  windows,  and  the  opening  in  front  with  a 
glass  door,  thus  making  an  enclosed  vestibule  or  porch,  and 
rendering  the  dining-room  a  very  warm  and  comfortable  apart 
ment.  From  this  porch  are  doors  into  the  dining-room,  No.  2  ; 
the  parlor  or  library,  No.  3  ;  and  the  kitchen,  No.  5  ;  and  accor 
ding  as  a  visitor's  business  in  calling  was  to  such  and  such  a 


COTTAGES.  151 

portion  of  the  house,  a  door  might  be  opened,  thus  saving  the 
internal  room  necessary  for  a  hall,  and  yet  gaining  all  the  advan 
tages  of  such  a  portion  of  the  building.  The  dining-room  is  a 
good-sized  pleasant  room,  fifteen  feet  by  seventeen,  with  French 
windows  opening  upon  the  ombra  or  porch  at  one  end,  and  a 
recess  for  sideboard  underneath  the  stairs  at  the  other.  Attached 
to  this  room  are  the  necessary  adjuncts  of  china,  glass,  and  store 
closets,  one  by  the  sideboard,  and  the  other  in  the  side  of  the 
room  opposite  to  the  stove  or  fireplace.  Back  of  the  dining- 
room  is  a  small  vestibule,  five  feet  square,  enclosed  so  as  to  shut 
off  the  staircase,  and  being  the  passage  way  from  the  pantry, 
scullery,  and  kitchen  to  the  dining-room.  This  entry  is  marked 
in  the  plan,  No.  4,  and  is  provided  with  an  outer  door.  The 
economy  in  space  attained  by  the  arrangement  of  this  portion  of 
the  plan  must  be  evident  at  a  glance,  and  the  domestic  comfort 
and  convenience  ensured,  seem  to  me  to  render  it  very  desirable. 
No.  3  is  a  large,  well-proportioned  apartment,  twenty-five  by 
fifteen,  exclusive  of  a  large  projecting  window  in  the  side  of  the 
room.  This  would  serve  as  a  parlor,  drawing-room,  or  country 
library,  as  the  taste  of  the  occupants  lead  them  to  determine. 
The  projecting  window  opens  upon  a  large  veranda  extending 
along  the  side  of  the  room,  and  from  one  side  of  this  bay-window 
a  portion  of  the  veranda  might,  if  thought  pleasant,  be  enclosed, 
forming  either  a  conservatory  or  a  small  summer  study,  attain 
able  at  very  little  additional  cost.  As  this  house  might  in  many 
places  be  thought  adapted  for  the  dwelling  of  the  clergyman  of 
some  small  society,  I  would  suggest  that  the  room  I  have  just 
described  would  very  agreeably  afford  ample  space  for  purposes 
of  clerical  use,  and  the  small  study  thus  attached  (entered  by  a 
door  from  the  side  of  the  bay-window)  might  be  provided  with 


152  RURAL  HOMES. 

a  flue  in  one  of  its  sides,  so  as  to  be  warmed  by  a  stove  in 
winter.  Few  houses  of  far  greater  pretension  and  expense  have 
rooms  so  spacious  and  well-proportioned  as  those  in  this  little 
'  cottage,  and  hence  its  desirableness  for  erection.  No.  5  is  a 
kitchen,  back  of  which  is  a  large  scullery  and  wash-room,  No.  6. 
Underneath  the  building,  a  dry  and  well  lighted  cellar  (lighted 
from  the  one  end  and  the  rear  side)  might  contain  a  store  and 
flour-room,  a  larder,  etc.,  with  a  flight  of  stairs  leading  thereto. 
Back  of  this  building,  I  would  propose  an  enclosed  yard,  con 
taining  wood-shed,  and  such  offices  as  are  better  out  of  doors, 
and  as  the  pleasant,  occupied  rooms  are  all  on  the  other  side  of 
the  house,  the  yard  so  enclosed  might  extend  along  its  entire 
rear  length,  and  being  conveniently  opened  into  by  means  of  the 
enclosed  vestibule  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  would  be  easy  of 
access  from  the  living  rooms.  This  enclosed  yard  would  keep 
everything  neat  and  orderly  in  appearance  round  the  building, 
and  give  it  a  refined  character  in  keeping  with  its  more  exposed 
exterior. 

The  height  of  the  rooms  on  this  floor  is  ten  feet  in  the  clear, 
the  walls  to  be  prepared  for  paper,  and  the  inside  finish  of  doors 
and  windows  of  the  simplest,  plainest  description. 

The  sleeping  accommodation  in  the  floor  above  is  adequate  to 
the  comfortable  use  of  a  small  family,  and  is  arranged  as  fol 
lows: 

No.  1  is  a  hall,  well-lighted  and  roomy,  containing  the  stair 
case  from  below,  and  from  which  open  the  doors  into  the  several 
chambers. 

No.  2  is  a  large  room  over  the  dining-room  and  extending  clear 
to  a  Hue  with  the  front  of  the  house,  the  recessed  portion  below 
being  floored  over.  From  this  room  a  window  opens  upon  a 


COTTAGES. 


153 


large  balcony,  No.  3,  over  the  truncated  projection  of  the  porch 
below.  The  room  is  provided  with  a  large  closet  for  clothes, 
and  a  flue  for  a  stove  or  fire-place. 


CHAMBEB  PLAN.— SUB  CUBAN  OOTTAOB. 

No.  4  is  a  large  linen-closet,  well-lighted,  and  formed  by  the 
small  entry  from  the  upper  hall  leading  to  rooms  Nos.  5  and  6. 

No.  5  is  a  small  chamber  or  dressing-room,  in  which  might  be 
a  bathing  apparatus,  and  serving  either  as  a  separate  single  room, 
a  child's  sleeping-room,  or  a  dressing-room  connected  with  the 
larger  chamber,  No.  6,  which  is  over  the  library  or  parlor  below, 
and  is  provided  with  a  spacious  clothes-closet  and  a  flue  for  a 
stove  or  fire-place. 

No.  7  is  over  the  kitchen,  and  has  also  a  large  closet  and  a 
fire-place,  and  No.  8  is  a  servants'  sleeping-room.  This  room  is 
shut  off  from  the  other  chambers  by  an  entry  similar  to  that  on 
the  other  side  of  the  hall,  and  is  sufficiently  large  for  the  purpose 
and  is  well-lighted  and  ventilated. 

No.  9  is  a  large  store-room,  well-lighted  and  airy — completing 
the  accommodation  provided  on  this  floor,  and  the  compactness 


154  RURAL   HOMES. 

and  convenience  of  the  plan  must,  I  think,  favorably  recom 
mend  itself. 

The  rooms  on  this  floor  extend  partly  into  the  roof.  The 
walls  are  seven  feet  high  to  the  under  side  of  the  plate,  and  the 
ceiling  follows  the  slope  of  the  roof  sufficiently  far  to  allow  the 
rooms  to  be  ten  feet  in  the  clear.  The  roof  is  so  framed  as  to 
admit  this,  and  by  such  an  arrangement  greater  internal  height 
and  airiness  are  obtained,  with  more  modest  lowliness  of  the 
exterior.  The  sloping  sides  of  the  ceiling  should  be  firred  down 
so  as  to  leave  a  space  of  dead  air  (the  most  perfect  non-con 
ductor)  between  the  lathing  and  the  covering  of  the  roof;  by 
this  means  the  rooms  will  be  always  cool  and  the  additional 
height  gained  be  very  valuable.  The  room  over  the  dining- 
room  having  a  gable  over  its  ceiling  would  be  a  higher  and 
more  symmetrical  apartment  than  the  others,  and  hence  might 
be  reserved  as  the  guest-chamber,  its  large  balcony  making  it 
a  very  pleasant  sitting  place  for  ladies  with  their  books  or  needle 
work. 

The  furniture  and  finish  of  such  a  house  as  this  should  be  very 
simple.  The  dining-room  being  as  it  were  a  hall,  and  conse 
quently  frequently  seen,  should  be  neatly  and  appropriately 
arranged.  In  the  summer,  its  floor  covered  with  Indian  matting ; 
removed  in  the  winter  for  a  carpet  of  one  of  those  pretty,  warm- 
looking  patterns  that  one  sometimes  sees  in  churches.  Few 
colors  should  be  in  its  composition,  a  mosaic  work  of  deep  purple 
and  orange,  or  crimson  and  brown  or  black,  interwoven  in  small 
patterns  and  without  any  contrasted  spots  of  brighter  colors. 
The  tables  and  chairs  of  oak,  maple,  or  birch,  the  table  shut  up 
into  small  form  and  standing  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  its 
additional  leaves  stored  away  in  a  recess  left  purposely  for  them 


COTTAGES.  155 

at  the  side  of  the  side-board.  This  latter  should  as  it  were  be  a 
portion  of  the  room  (in  this  case)  not  a  distinct  piece  of  furni 
ture.  With  a  heavy  wooden  slab  at  the  top,  drawers  and  a 
lock-up  cupboard  below ;  and  above  the  slat  at  top,  in  the  recess 
again  another  recess  under  the  risers  of  the  stairs  for  the  urn,  or 
such  other  somewhat  ornamental  portion  of  the  dinner  or  break 
fast  equipage  as  would  properly  fill  it.  The  back  of  this  recess, 
on  either  side  of  this  central  inner  one,  might,  if  wished,  be 
formed  of  mirrors  set  into  the  wall,  without  any  frame,  but  a 
narrow  moulding  of  the  same  wood  as  the  sideboard  and  furni 
ture,  and  the  top  of  the  recess  should  finish  in  a  low,  three 
centred  flat  arch,  with  merely  a  bead  moulding  on  its  edge,  its 
side  or  soffit  being  papered  like  the  rest  of  the  room.  The 
walls  papered  in  oak  or  maple,  with  no  cornice  other  than  just  a 
bead  an  inch  and  a  half  deep  to  break  the  corner  formed  by  the 
right  angle  between  wall  and  ceiling ;  and  the  woodwork  if  not 
left  as  the  natural  wood,  oiled  and  varnished,  should  be  grained 
oak  or  black  walnut,  though  the  latter  might  perhaps  be  too 
dark,  as  the  rooms  are  low  and  the  projection  of  the  ombra 
would  somewhat  quench  the  light. 

An  open  Franklin  stove  set  in  an  arched  recess  would  serve 
for  heating  this  room,  and  as  it  would  be  removed  in  the  sum 
mer,  would  be  perhaps  better  than  a  fireplace,  the  width  of  the 
room  leaving  nothing  to  spare  for  projection  of  chimney  breast. 

The  parlor,  whether  library  or  drawing-room,  would  be  treated 
in  a  very  similar  manner.  If  of  use,  bookcases  should  be  built  in 
the  walls ;  simple  shelves  with  an  arched  finish  at  top,  and  a 
drawer  or  two  with  a  couple  of  low  folding-doors  enclosing  a 
small  lock-up  cupboard  at  the  bottom,  and  without  doors;  a 
curtain  meeting  in  the  middle  and  running  on  rods  across  the 


156 


RURAL    HOMES. 


top,  made  of  silk  chintz  or  some  light  material,  would  look  more 
cheerful  and  gay,  and  be  less  expensive.  For  the  rest,  the 
carpet,  when  the  days  for  matting  were  over,  should  be  lighter 
in  color  and  more  variety,  but  to  my  taste  of  small  pattern,  and 
of  that  indescribable  mosaic  that,  whether  floral  or  geometric, 
never  offends  the  eye  by  its  imitation  of  flower  or  foliage,  or  by 
its  stiffness  and  harshness  of  outline.  The  paper  of  oak  pattern 
or  some  other  one-toned  character,  the  furniture  of  light-colored 
wood,  the  mirrors  void  of  gilding.  Around  the  bay  or  projecting 


RUSTIC  FLOWER-STAND. 

window,  a  law  chintz-covered  seat,  excepting  where  the  windows 


COTTAGES.  5 

open  to  the  veranda  floor,  or  the  door  (if  there  be  one),  leads 
into  the  study  or  conservatory,  and  as  the  space  would  be  large, 
its  centre  might  prettily  be  occupied  by  a  light  and  elegant  work- 
table,  or  by  a  rustic  flower-stand  or  jardiniere.  The  foregoing 
cut  shows  a  pretty  rustic  flower-stand  just  suited  to  such  a  situa 
tion,  and  as  it  is  inexpensive  and  can  easily  be  procured,  I  have 
given  its  representation.  It  is  made  of  bark  finished  neatly  and 
Tarnished,  and  can  be  got  at  the  Berrians. 

The  staircase  is  wide,  roomy,  easy  of  access,  and  is  well- 
lighted,  and,  excepting  on  the  upper  floor,  would  need  no  bal- 
lusters. 

The  external  character  of  the  house  has  been  before  spoken 
of.  The  porch  or  ombra  in  front  has  an  appearance  of  massive 
simplicity  which  should  be  carefully  preserved  in  executing  a 
building  after  this  design.  It  is  not  by  any  means  expensive, 
and  as  the  building  itself  has  been  drawn  at  large,  specification 
prepared,  and  a  tender  made  by  a  respectable  builder  to  contract 
to  erect  the  same  for  a  little  under  fourteen  hundred  dollars,  it 
will  be  satisfactorily  seen  that  the  claim  to  economical  expendi 
ture  of  the  means  is  a  just  one. 

The  color  of  such  a  building  should  be  light — whatever  the 
general  aspect  and  tone  of  coloring  of  the  objects  around — that 
let  it  be.  If  surrounded  by  trees,  with  a  leafy  background,  its 
coloring  should  be  warm  and  approach  the  cream ;  if  standing 
more  alone,  with  rocky  foreground  and  bold  crags  near  enough 
to  be  seen  in  outline  and  color,  quench  the  warmth  somewhat 
by  deepening  the  cream  to  a  light,  cool  brown  ;  if  other  buildings 
are  near,  and  the  background  be  circumscribed,  give  the  building 
relief  and  its  features  distinctness  by  using  more  than  one  color 
thereon — covering  the  main  block  with  a  warm,  light  tint  and 


158  RURAL    HOMES. 

deepening  the  prominent  portions,  as  window  frames,  cornices, 
brackets,  doors,  veranda  posts,  and  ombra  or  porch.  Here  one 
word  respecting  a  contrary  mode  sometimes  suggested  :  It  has 
been  said  that  in  such  a  case  the  building  should  be  the  dark 
tint,  the  details  light,  and  at  first  thought  this  would  seem  cor 
rect,  but,  on  after  reflection  will  come  the  fact  that  the  details 
being  such  small  portions  of  the  general  mass — spots  or  lines  as 
it  were  upon  its  bulk — their  hue  would  be  merged  into  that  of 
the  rest  if  made  lighter,  as  we  see  delicate  pearl  green  is  lost 
amid  dark  foliage,  but  would  stand  boldly  out  in  evident  form 
and  distinctness  if  of  darker  hue,  like  the  pines  and  dark  ever 
greens  of  a  more  tenderly  tinted  plantation,  or  the  dark  eyebrows 
and  eyelashes  of  a  Spanish  face. 

Sanding  paint,  or  mixing  sand  therewith,  besides  assisting  in 
its  preservation,  takes  away  from  the  oily  glare  and  glisten  of 
ordinary  pigments,  and  by  lessening  the  refracting  power,  gives 
to  the  surface  of  the  building  a  softer  and  more  pleasant  tone  of 
coloring.  But  I  do  not  recommend  this  process  in  all  cases, 
believing  in  no  universal  rule  that  admits  not  of  exception ;  fre 
quently  where  the  detail  is  minute,  the  roughened  appearance 
imparted  by  the  use  of  sand  gives  a  clumsy  aspect  to  the  part, 
and  in  all  cases  where  sharpness  of  outline  is  sought  to  be 
obtained  by  any  particular  decoration  of  the  construction,  the 
use  of  sand  would  be  perfectly  inadmissible.  By  using  the  last 
coat  of  oil  color  thick  and  smooth,  without  boiled  oil,  or  any 
fatty,  or  resinous  substance,  a  flat,  unshining  surface  may  be 
obtained,  more  durable  than  a  brighter,  reflecting  coat  would  be, 
and  more  pleasing  in  effect. 

The  approach  to  such  a  house,  where  the  size  of  its  ground- 
plot  would  permit,  should  be  directly  from  in  front,  straight  from 


COTTAGES.  159 

point  to  point,  but  should  be  by  means  of  an  easy  curve,  sweep 
ing  round  a  clump  of  evergreen  shrubbery  in  front,  a  small 
grassy  mound,  or  some  such  central  feature,  and  returning  either 
to  the  same  gate,  or,  perhaps,  if  the  space  widened  sufficiently, 
to  a  second  gate  a  little  farther  on.  The  end  containing  the 
kitchen,  etc.,  in  a  line  with  one  side  of  the  enclosing  back-yard, 
should  be  planted  out,  and  screened  by  trees.  The  other  end, 
towards  the  veranda  and  bay-window,  should  be  laid  out  as  a 
pleasant  lawn  or  flower-garden,  and  left  as  open  as  space  will 
permit ;  its  extremity,  where  perhaps  a  neighbor's  land  joins  on, 
planted  in  such  a  manner  as  to  hide  the  wall  or  fence,  screen 
from  observation,  and  at  the  same  time  appear  to  connect  with 
the  land  beyond,  (if  there  be  any  worth  conveying  such  an  idea) 
so  that  ownership  may  seemingly  be  suggested  therewith,  and 
the  apparent  extent  of  the  grounds  increased.  How  this  may 
be  done  has  been  explained  in  a  previous  chapter. 

Perchance  the  building  may  have  to  stand  upon  a  corner  lot ; 
in  that  case  its  appearance  could  not  fail  to  please,  as  the  bold 
projection  of  the  porch  or  ombra  on  the  side,  and  the  simple  and 
well-proportioned  outline  of  either  end  would  be  seen  to  great 
advantage.  The  fences  around  it,  if  enclosing  a  tolerably  large 
area,  may  either  be  wooden  palings,  within  which  a  privet  hedge 
might  be  tried,  (I  say  tried,  because  its  growth  is  not  always 
certain,  but  its  pretty  effect  worth  trying  for,)  or  an  iron  railing 
of  simple  pattern  and  inexpensive  character  might  possibly  be 
decided  on.  Frequently  an  iron  fence  proves  the  cheapest  in 
the  end,  though  its  first  cost  may  be  more  than  one  of  another 
description.  I  hear  a  great  deal  of  a  woven  iron  fence  which  is 
greatly  extolled,  but  having  had  no  personal  opportunity  of 
trying  it,  I  can  merely  mention  its  existence  here.  It  is  called 


1GO  RURAL    HOMES. 

"  Wickersham's  Wire  Fencing,"  is  patented,  and  is  advertised 
in  most  country  and  city  papers,  and  claims  to  be  less  than  half 
the  cost  of  cast  iron  railing.  Sometimes  posts  strongly  made 
and  deeply  sunk  in  the  ground,  the  corners  chamfered  off,  and 
the  tops  protected  by  pointed  rooflets  over,  answer  the  purpose 
very  well  if  set  at  intervals  of  ten  to  twelve  feet  apart,  and  iron 
wire  drawn  through  holes  every  fifteen  inches  up.  This  wire 
made  of  galvanized  iron,  and  the  posts  painted,  will  make  a 
cheap  and  durable  fencing  at  very  little  expense,  one,  too, 
possessing  a  good  deal  of  character,  and  of  very  pleasing  appear 
ance. 

The  rooms  in  this  suburban  cottage  should  be  ventilated  by 
means  of  Berrian's  valves  opening  into  the  chimneys  of  each ; 
the  sleeping-rooms  especially  should  be  so  provided,  as  the 
windows  being  less  than  the  height  of  the  centre  of  the  rooms, 
the  air  would  require  to  be  drawn  off  from  the  space  above  their 
opening.  This  may  be  done  by  inserting  a.  valve  in  the  flue 
within  the  room  a  few  inches  below  the  line  of  the  straight 
ceiling.  The  windows  must  all  be  so  made  as  to  open  at  the 
top,  whether  dropping  as  in  ordinary  weight,  hung  sashes,  or 
French  windows  with  sashes  hung  with  hinges.  The  importance 
of  this  will  be  thoroughly  estimated  by  those  who  in  hot  weather 
have  been  condemned  to  sleep  in  rooms,  the  windows  of  which 
only  are  capable  of  being  opened  in  their  lower  half. 

A  house  built  in  the  manner  above  described,  and  in  accord 
ance  with  the  illustrations  given,  would  form  a  really  comfortable, 
economical,  and  elegant  cottage  home,  and  would  be  adapted  to 
most  situations  in  which  one  would  probably  be  placed. 

A  still  smaller  and  cheaper  building  is  often  needed.  Some 
that  have  been  intended  for  erection  at  sums  varying  from  six 


COTTAGES. 


161 


to  twelve  hundred  dollars,  have,  however,  proved  in  actual  exe 
cution  to  cost  much  more.  I  find  that  country  builders  are 
generally  very  sceptical  when  a  plan  professing  to  represent  a 
house  constructed  on  such  a  scale  is  presented  to  them.  To 
avoid  this  in  every  case,  I  will  here  give  an  actual  representation 
of  a  small  cottage  built  from  my  designs  in  two  places,  the  cost 
of  which  in  neither  instance  exceeded  eleven  hundred  dollars, 


SMALL  COTTAGE.— ELEVATION  AND  PLAN. 

and  as  there  was  nothing  peculiarly  favorable  in  the  circum 
stances  of  erection,  but  on  the  contrary,  material  and  labor  were 


162  RURAL    HOMES. 

both  very  high,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  in  many 
situations  the  house  could  be  built  for  even  less. 

It  is  built  of  wood,  covered  with  perpendicular  plank  and 
battens,  and  the  interior  lined  with  brick,  thus  making  a  warm 
and  comfortable  building. 

Its  external  appearance  is  pleasing  and  picturesque.  The 
walls  are  low,  the  roof  steep  and  projecting  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  afford  sufficient  shade.  The  side  of  it  is  brought  down  so  low 
as  to  form  a  covering  in  front  over  a  veranda  floor,  making  a 
protected  entrance  and  a  pleasant  place  for  out-door  sitting  and 
rest. 

The  accommodation  is  sufficient  for  a  family  of  moderate  size. 
On  the  ground  floor  the  space  is  thus  distributed. 

From  under  the  projecting  eave  of  roof  on  the  front  is  the 
entrance  into  a  small  vestibule,  No.  1,  containing  the  staircase, 
and  opening  on  one  side  into  a  best  parlor,  No.  2,  thirteen  feet  six 
inches  by  fourteen  feet,  exclusive  of  a  projecting  bay-window  at 
one  end.  This  room  contains  a  fire-place  and  a  large  closet,  and 
is  a  pretty  and  cheerful  apartment. 

Back  of  this  is  the  living  room  or  dining-room,  entered  by 
means  of  an  entry  under  the  stairs,  and  conveniently  placed  for 
access  from  the  kitchen  and  pantry.  This  room  is  of  the  same 
size  as  the  parlor,  and  like  it  is  provided  with  fire-place  and 
large  closet.  The  kitchen,  No.  4,  occupies  the  centre  of  the 
house  and  is  a  good-sized,  well-lighted  room.  Back  of  the  fire 
place  is  a  wash  and  sink-room,  No.  6,  containing  a  boiler  heated 
by  the  kitchen  range  or  cooking  stove.  No.  5  is  a  large  pantry 
communicating  with  the  kitchen  and  wash-room.  No.  7,  a 
back  entry  furnished  with  shelves  and  used  also  as  a  milk- 
room. 


COTTAGES.  163 

In  one  instance,  the  cottage  built  after  this  design  had  the 
distribution  of  the  domestic  offices  somewhat  changed.  The 
kitchen  fire-place  was  put  against  the  pantry  partition,  No.  5, 
and  that  apartment  made  the  wash-room,  the  latter  occupying 
the  place  marked  on  the  plan,  No.  6.  This  change  involved  no 
variation  in  the  expense,  and  either  arrangement  might  with 
perfect  propriety  be  adopted  as  seemed  best. 

Underneath  the  whole  is  a  good,  airy,  well-lighted  cellar, 
seven  feet  high  in  the  clear,  and  entered  by  a  flight  of  stairs 
under  those  shown  on  the  plan. 

The  rooms  on  this  floor  are  nine  feet  six  inches  high ;  in  one 
of  the  houses  they  are  finished  with  tempered  walls,  in  the  other 
are  prettily  papered  in  imitation  wood,  and  the  doors  and  other 
wood-work  stained  and  polished  to  match.  The  floor  of  the 
veranda  in  the  latter  is  made  of  hexagonal  blocks  of  yellow  pine 
nicely  fitted  in,  and  producing  a  pretty  effect.  This,  where  mill- 
power  is  at  hand,  would  be  but  of  trifling  cost,  and  would  assist 
in  imparting  character  to  the  building. 

The  sleeping-rooms  are  contained  in  the  floor  above,  and  as 
the  partitions  are  the  same  as  those  below,  a  separate  plan  has 
not  been  thought  necessary. 

The  staircase  lands  over  the  entry,  No.  1,  and  a  small  bulk 
head  is  taken  out  of  the  front  chamber  to  form  the  entrance  to 
that  in  the  rear  over  the  dining-room.  Each  of  these  rooms 
has  a  large  closet,  and  can  be  warmed  by  a  small  stove  if 
necessary.  The  space  over  the  kitchen  allows  of  one  larare 

«/  J.  O 

chamber  and  a  smaller  inner  room  over  the  wash-room.  The 
roof  dipping  down  over  the  part  below,  containing  Nos.  5  and  7, 
the  space  above  is  only  available  for  large,  low  closets,  one  of 
which  is  reached  from  the  sleeping-room  over  the  dining-room, 


164  RURAL   HOMES. 

and  there  is  also  one  to  each  of  the  rooms  over  the  kitchen  and 
wash-room. 

This  arrangement  affords  in  all  one  small  and  three  large  bed 
rooms,  and  a  large  closet  on  each  side  of  the  upper  landing  of 
the  staircase  over  the  entry,  No.  1.  The  roof  is  made  double, 
that  is,  a  space  is  left  betwen  the  rafters  and  the  lathing  on 
which  the  ceiling  is  plastered.  By  this  means  no  heat  is  trans 
mitted  from  the  roof,  and  the  temperature  of  the  sleeping-rooms 
is  easily  maintained  as  cool  as  that  of  the  rooms  below. 

The  useful  articles  of  furniture  required  for  this  little  cottage, 
if  simply  and  strongly  made,  would,  in  their  places,  be  sure  to 
look  well.  The  parlor  might  have  a  pretty  carpet  of  small  and 
cheerful  pattern,  and  a  small  book-case,  hanging  book-shelves,  or 
cabinet,  made  of  oak,  maple,  or  brick,  or  even  common  pine 
stained  or  painted ;  these,  with  chairs  of  simple  form,  a  centre 
folding-table,  a  few  cut  flowers  in  the  summer,  and  dried  grasses 
in  the  winter,  in  a  rustic  stand  or  in  vases  over  the  mantel,  a 
settee  covered  with  chintz,  and  curtains  of  material  and  pattern 
to  match,  would  be  all  that  would  be  needed  to  decorate  and 
furnish  the  room.  The  kitchen,  with  a  cleanly  kept  white  wood 
dresser  opposite  the  fireplace,  (a  wall  unobstructed  by  doors  is 
left  for  its  reception),  with  a  wooden  mantel  supported  over  the 
chimney  opening  by  wooden  or  iron  brackets,  with  a  rack  for 
plates,  and  a  shelf  or  two,  would,  with  the  never-failing  Yankee 
clock,  be  sufficiently  and  inexpensively  complete.  To  these  (with 
the  chairs  and  tables  that  are  matters  of  course),  might  be 
added  a  folding  settee  ironing-table.  This  is  made  so  as  to  be 
used  as  a  settee  with  a  high  back,  or  as  an  ironing  table,  and 
taking  but  little  room  and  costing  but  from  four  to  six  dollars, 
is  well  Adapted  to  a  cottage  kitchen.  The  top,  forming  when 


COTTAGES. 


165 


not  in  use  the  back  of  the  seat,  turns  upon  wooden  pegs  inserted 
in  the  arm-chair-like  ends  of  the  settle  ;  when  shut  down  for 


KITCHEN  SETTEE  TABLB, 

use  as  an  ironing  board,  two  other  pegs  are  dropped  into  holes 
made  for  the  purpose,  securing  it  in  its  place,  and  making  a 
firm  and  steady  table.  The  seat  itself  is  made  to  lift  up,  and  is 
enclosed  at  the  bottom,  back,  and  ends,  so  as  to  form  a  locker 
or  chest,  useful  for  clothes  and  a  variety  of  purposes.  Made  of 
common  pine  and  left  unpainted,  this  simple  piece  of  furniture 
could  be  procured  from  any  handy  carpenter,  or  can  be  found 
for  sale  in  New  York. 

The  general  form  and  appearance  of  the  building  is  in  execu 
tion  pleasingly  simple  and  modest.     In  one  case  the  hipped  roof 


166  RURAL    HOMES. 

has  been  changed  for  the  ordinary  gable,  but  the  effect  is  not 
nearly  so  satisfactory,  the  sloping  back  line  of  the  hip  keeping 
the  building  down,  and  giving  a  more  pyramidical  and  artistic 
outline  to  the  general  map. 

The  dipping  eaves  of  the  front  forming  the  veranda  are  sup 
ported  in  one  building  by  rustic  posts,  formed  by  cypress  trunks 
with  the  bark  retained,  and  in  the  other  they  are  made  of  studs 
put  cross-wise,  four  together,  and  the  edges  chamfered  with  a 
moulding  breaking  round  top  and  foot  to  form  cap  and  base,  and 
strengthened  and  enriched  by  cut  brackets.  Of  the  two  I  prefer 
the  rustic  treatment  as  more  in  harmony  with  the  character  of 
the  design. 

The  verge  framing  under  the  hipped  roofs  is  of  heavy  plank 
cut  out  to  the  proper  outline  and  chamfered.  The  drops  are 
moulded,  and  so  is  likewise  the  ridge  pin  or  pinnacle.  The  dor 
mer  window  on  the  front  has  its  gable  enriched  by  a  simple  cut 
and  chamfered  barge-board,  the  sashes  being  made  to  swing 
open  from  within.  These  sashes  are  frequently  fastened  in  a 
very  imperfect  and  unhandy  manner ;  the  stiles  being  narrow, 
and  in  so  small  a  window  no  room  being  left  for  a  standing  mul- 
lion  against  which  to  bolt  them,  the  fastening,  whatever  it  may 
be,  has  but  slight  hold,  and  requires  to  be  very  strongly  and 
thoroughly  made. 

I  have  given  a  representation  of  an  ingenious  and  effective 
fastening  adapted  to  such  a  window,  and  also  to  blinds,  for  which 
latter  purpose  it  is  principally  sold,  but  with  thumb  bolts  above 
and  below  is  admirably  adapted  to  such  a  small  dormer  window 
as  is  here  represented. 

This  is  made  in  iron,  brass,  plate,  or  bronze,  and  is  simple  and 


COTTAGES.  167 

effective,  and  like  all  the  other  ironmongery  I  have  occasion  to 
describe,  is  kept  for  sale  by  Baldwin  &  Many  of  New  York. 


BLIND  OB  DOBMER  WINDOW  FASTENING. 

The  color  that  such  a  cottage  should  be  tinted,  would  depend 
upon  its  situation  and  the  remarks  made  in  the  former  portion 
of  this  chapter,  in  reference  to  the  larger  example  given  of  a 
cottage  house,  would  apply  equally  well  to  this. 

This  building  would  look  well  in  stone  where  that  material  is 
plentiful  and  cheap,  but  the  bay  window  would  require  to  be 
made  heavier  to  be  in  keeping,  though  not  necessarily  con 
structed  of  stone,  as  a  character  could  easily  be  imparted  which 
would  render  the  cheaper  and  more  easily  worked  material  in 
harmony  with  the  rough  rubble  walls.  Or  the  window  might 
project  as  a  simple  parallelogram,  the  sides  not  being  truncated 
to  form  a  half  octagon,  in  which  case,  particularly  if  windows 
were  dispensed  with  in  its  sides,  and  an  opening  only  left  in 
front,  it  could  readily  be  built  of  the  same  material  as  the  rest 
of  the  house,  and  would  look  bold  and  sturdily  honest. 

A  small  garden  patch  in  front,  an  inclosed  yard  in  the  rear, 
screened  by  light  trellis  work,  garnished  and  rendered  still  more 
impervious  by  flowering  creepers,  a  neatly  kept  gravel  approach, 
a  simple  fence  and  unassuming  gate,  would  be  all  in  the  way  of 
adjunct  necessary  to  complete  the  rural,  comfortable  character  of 
this  cottage  home.  Cheaply  and  durably  built,  easily  kept  in 


168  RURAL    HOMES. 

repair  without,  and  snug  and  comfortable  within,  unpretending, 
and  yet  not  without  a  modest  beauty  of  its  own,  such  should  be 
the  small  homestead  of  the  honest  mechanic  or  small  farmer. 

An  even  smaller  and  less  extensive  cottage  could  be  described, 
but  the  cheaper  building  is  one  that  to  do  it  justice  requires  study 
on  the  spot  and  with  the  builder,  or  a  pretty  plan  would  be 
found  to  cost  a  pretty  price.  And  for  this  reason  very  few 
houses  are  executed  from  books  or  printed  descriptions  exactly 
as  there  detailed.  Changes,  that  to  the  eye  and  reason  of  the 
amateur  appear  quite  unimportant,  and  entailing  no  extra  cost, 
are  decided  on  and  introduced ;  then  he  finds  that  somehow 
when  he  begins  these  changes,  the  parts  don't  fit,  don't  dovetail 
in  so  nicely  as  they  do  in  the  professionally  studied  plan.  One 
change  involves  another,  and  with  a  semblance  of  the  model,  a 
house  is  finished  ostensibly  like  it,  and  complained  of  because 
costing  perhaps  half  as  much  again  as  the  example  that  it  was 
intended  to  follow.  So  especially  is  this  the  danger  in  a  small 
house,  where  every  fraction  of  expenditure  has  been  closely  and 
thoughtfully  studied,  and  in  the  design  for  which  so  nicely  has 
every  part  been  weighed,  and  so  cunningly  has  every  contrivance 
been  brought  to  bear  upon  it  that  could  possibly  be  taken  advan 
tage  of  to  reduce  the  cost  of  its  embodiment,  that  any  deviation 
made  will  inevitably  jeopardize  the  whole,  and  entail  unforeseen 
and  incalculably  expensive  extras. 

Comfortable,  effective,  and  carefully  designed  cottages  have 
been  built  for  even  five  hundred  dollars  ;  and  yet  it  is  true  that 
many  architects  could  multiply  instances  where  a  design  espe 
cially  made  for  a  certain  situation  and  to  meet  particular  wants, 
and  which  had  there  been  executed  for  the  small  sum  namer1 
in  other  places  where  the  attempt  had  been  made  to  copy  +1  - 


COTTAGES.  169 

same  building,  the  cost  frequently  had  been  nearly  double. 
This  can  only  be  explained  by  reference  to  the  temptation  to 
introduce  changes,  which,  seemingly  trifling  and  unattended  with 
increased  expense  in  themselves,  nevertheless  result  in  a  very  per 
ceptible  swelling  of  the  builder's  account  of  cost. 

A  small  cottage  comprising  three  rooms  on  ground  floor,  with 
a  cellar  underneath  and  a  back  lean-to,  containing  a  sink  and 
wash  room,  the  plan  of  the  form  of  an  L,  and  the  roof  extended 
down  over  one  side  in  a  somewhat  similar  manner  to  the  last 
design,  has  been  executed  under  my  direction  for  four  hundred 
and  sixty  dollars.  The  rooms  are  of  good  size,  and  the  building 
is  well  and  substantially  built.  This  of  course  could  be  done 
again  and  again  ;  but  as  the  sum  mentioned  would  have  to  be 
so  carefully  subdivided  through  every  item  of  material  and  labor, 
I  have  not  thought  it  best  to  give  an  example,  for  fear  it  might 
mislead.  If  any  one  needs  such  a  house,  the  plans  can  be  fur 
nished  to  them  modified  by  the  statement  made  of  circumstances 
that  might  influence  the  design. 

Before  concluding  this  chapter,  I  would  say  a  word  or  two 
upon  the  common  practice  of  placing  unsightly  buildings  around 
cottage  homes.  Outhouses  are  necessary  of  course,  and  must 
be  provided,  but  they  need  not  be  so  prominently  introduced  to 
the  notice  of  every  passer-by.  A  neatly  inclosed  yard  in  the 
rear,  containing  every  out-door  office  necessary  to  comfort,  wood 
shed,  well,  piggery,  and  the  like,  with  space  enough  left  in  the 
centre  for  a  green  sward  to  dry  clothes,  would  really  cost  less, 
because  the  sides,  or  back,  or  roof  of  one  building  could  be  made 
available  to  another ;  space  of  course  would  be  saved,  and  a 
more  healthy  and  far  more  agreeable  result  be  obtained. 

Not  only  however  are  those  things  which  ought  to  be  kept  in 
15 


170  RURAL  HOMES. 

the  background  thrust,  unsheltered  by  tree  or  fence,  frequently 
into  the  very  centre  of  the  small  cottage  lot,  but  they  are  con 
stantly  seen  so  tricked  up  with  some  kind  of  fantastic  carpentry 
as  to  challenge  observation  in  the  most  peremptory  manner. 
We  will  put  them  back,  if  you  please  ;  and  in  so  doing,  gain  a 
prettier  patch  for  sweet-smelling  flowers,  and  more  ample  room 
for  a  little  lawn  or  useful  garden. 

What  a  healthy,  refining,  useful  thing  might  be  a  cottage 
garden ;  and  how  sad  it  is  to  see  the  many  ostentatious  and  vulgar 
looking  little  boxes  that  have  usurped  the  place  of  the  home, 
so  many  barren,  weed- fringed  wastes  that  have  stolen  away  from 
some  village  or  suburb  its  brightest  ornament — the  neatly  kept 
garden.  What  stores  of  simple  pleasures  a  little  lot  of  fifty  feet 
square  might  accumulate ;  what  cheerful  occupation,  useful, 
purest  teachings,  might  it  afford.  The  busy  man  morning  or 
evening  might  find  half  an  hour's  toil  a  real  recreation,  aye,  and 
a  profitable  investment  therein  ;  the  children  be  early  taught  that 
most  refining  and  heavenly  of  all  tastes,  a  love  for  flowers,  and 
learn  lessons  of  order  and  diligence  prettily  and  pleasantly  from 
the  operations  and  loved  cares  of  the  flower  garden.  I  cannot 
do  better  than  conclude  with  a  quotation  from  the  heart-speak 
ing  book  that  has  before  enriched  the  opening  pages  of  this 
chapter : — 

"  But  another  common  instance  of  the  good  effect  of  garden 
ing  may  be  mentioned :  it  naturally  inclines  one  to  be  open- 
handed.  The  bountiful  returns  which  are  bestowed,  year  after 
year,  upon  our  feeble  labors,  shame  us  into  liberality.  Among 
all  the  misers  who  have  lived  on  earth,  probably  few  have  been 
gardeners.  Some  cross-grained  churl  may  set  out,  perhaps,  with 
a  determi nation  to  be  niggardly  with  the  fruits  and  flowers  of 


COTTAGES.  171 

his  portion  ;  but  gradually  his  feelings  soften,  his  views  change, 
and  before  he  has  housed  the  fruits  of  many  summers,  he  sees 
that  these  good  things  are  but  the  free  gifts  of  Providence  to 
himself  and  he  learns  at  last  that  it  is  a  pleasure  as  well  as  a 
duty  to  give.  This  head  of  cabbage  shall  be  sent  to  a  poor 
neighbor;  that  basket  of  refreshing  fruit  is  reserved  for  the 
sick ;  he  has  pretty  nosegays  for  his  female  friends ;  he  has 
apples  or  peaches  for  little  people  ;  nay,  perhaps  in  the  course 
of  years,  he  at  length  achieves  the  highest  act  of  generosity — he 
bestows  on  some  friendly  rival  a  portion  of  his  rarest  seed,  a 
shoot  from  his  most  precious  root !  Such  deeds  are  done  by 
gardeners." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

MEANS    OP    ARTIFICIALLY  WARMING HOT-WATER  APPARATUS— 

THE  BATHING-ROOM. 

ONE  of  the  very  first  things  to  be  thought  of — before  com 
mencing  even  the  foundations  of  a  house,  is, — what  means  shall 
be  used  to  warm  it  ?  In  an  early  chapter,  I  devoted  as  much 
space  as  could  be  spared  to  the  subject  of  ventilation,  and  therein 
incidentally  alluded  to  the  most  reliable  methods  of  obtaining 
artificial  heat. 

The  importance  of  a  timely  consideration  of  this  first  element 
of  comfort  in  a  rural  home  will  appear  when  it  is  stated  that  any 
system  to  be  thoroughly  efficacious  should  be  commenced  in 
and  with  the  foundation  walls.  The  flues,  air-ducts,  calorific 
chambers,  should  and  must  be  embraced  in  the  arrangements 
of  the  plan,  and  if  not,  not  only  will  a  great  expense  be  incurred 
by  making  provision  for  them  at  a  later  day,  but  the  working  of 
the  apparatus  will  probably  be  not  nearly  so  satisfactory. 

Generally  speaking,  the  house  and  all  its  parts  are  determined 
on  and  the  building  commenced  without  any  definite  idea  as  to 
how  the  temperature  in  winter  is  to  be  moderated,  the  owner 


ARTIFICIAL    WARIHING.  1*73 

trusting  to  some  one  of  the  thousand  furnaces,  or  hot-air  stoves, 
or  other  health-destroying  machines  advertised  to  supply  the 
means  required.  Yet,  whatever  the  apparatus  adopted  may  be, 
if  its  parts  were  incorporated  into  the  building  from  the  first,  and 
reference  made  to  its  working  in  the  laying  of  every  floor,  or  the 
placing  of  every  flue,  a  house  more  easily  warmed  and  more 
economically  contrived  might  undoubtedly  be  obtained. 

The  importance  of  recognising  some  system  of  ventilation  in 
connection  with  the  means  of  obtaining  artificial  heat  must  be 
apparent  to  all.  And  yet,  in  not  one  instance  in  a  hundred  is 
this  necessity  ever  met.  In  the  smallest  cottage,  equally  as  in 
the  costliest  public  building,  an  adequate  and  consistent  ventila 
tion  should  be  arranged,  and  whether  the  rooms  be  warmed  by 
air-tight  stove,  open  fire-place,  or  the  most  exquisitely  contrived 
heating  apparatus,  it  can  be  secured  by  the  very  same  means  by 
which  the  artificial  warmth  is  imparted. 

This  principle  must,  in  fact,  be  made  the  basis  of  all  the 
systems  of  ventilation.  Doors  and  windows  are  pleasant 
auxiliaries  at  such  seasons  as  they  can  be  used,  without  causing 
inconvenient  draughts — chimney  caps  of  this  or  that  patented 
shape  assist  sometimes  under  certain  conditions  of  the  wind — 
but  the  only  constantly  acting  and  reliable  method  of  purifying 
the  air  of  a  room,  drawing  off  its  foul  gases,  and  introducing  a 
flow  of  fresh  and  pure  oxygen,  is  obtained  by  the  heat  that  raises 
its  temperature. 

This  can  be  done  in  various  ways.  In  the  simple  cottage 
where  a  stove  is  used,  an  air  chamber  of  sheet  iron  in  the  chim 
ney  back  through  which  the  stove-pipe  may  pass,  and  provided 
with  a  register  to  be  increased  in  opening  at  pleasure,  will  effect 
this  thoroughly,  as  will  also  the  surrounding  of  the  stove  with  an 


174  RURAL    HOMES. 

outer  case  or  cylinder,  the  openings  at  the  bottom  of  which  will 
draw  off  the  foul  air  within  the  room.  In  each  of  these  methods, 
the  chimney  valve  so  often  alluded  to  at  the  top  of  the  room  is 
indispensable. 

Other  methods  of  warming  will  admit  of  the  application  of 
different  apparatus  for  ventilating,  but  the  recognized  principle 
of  them  ah1  is  the  same,  viz.,  the  imparting  motion  to  the  air  by 
rarefaction,  which,  properly  applied  will  draw  off  the  impurities, 
and  afford  a  vacuum  into  which  the  pure  air  from  the  hot-air 
chest  in  winter,  or  from  outside  the  building  in  summer,  may 
rush. 

This  would  seem  very  simple,  and  the  necessity  for  the  pro 
vision  of  such  an  apparatus  apparent ;  and  yet,  one  house  is 
built  after  another,  its  basement  filled  up  with  a  huge  furnace, 
and  its  furniture  blistered  with  the  blasts  of  heated,  vitiated  air 
that  its  pipes  throw  up,  and  no  improved  means  are  ever  resorted 
to  of  obtaining  heat  and  health  at  the  same  time. 

Dr.  Bell  of  the  McLean  Asylum,  a  department  of  the  Massa 
chusetts  General  Hospital,  has  endeavored  in  a  series  of  cogent 
reasonings  embodied  in  a  condensed  form,  to  draw  the  public 
attention  to  the  necessity  of  some  serious  action  on  the  part  of 
all  those  having  any  influence  on  society,  in  view  of  enforcing 
the  introduction  of  reliable  and  simple  means  of  improving 
healthiness  of  internal  atmosphere  in  all  buildings  occupied  as 
dwellings. 

In  the  annual  address  before  the  Massachusetts  Medical 
Society  in  1848,  he  says  (in  relation  to  the  mysteries  of  venti 
lation,  sewerage,  and  water  supply)  : 

"  The  '  ghastly  bills  of  mortality,'  as  they  have  been  termed 
by  an  English  statistician  (under  some  overlooked  or  mistaken 


ARTIFICIAL    WARMING.  1*75 

modifying  circumstances  perhaps)  of  one  of  our  new  cities,  the 
prevailing  impression  of  the  unhealthiness  already  of  our  lately 
populated  manufacturing  towns,  call  aloud  to  the  medical  pro 
fession  to  look  the  growing  evils  of  hygienic  neglect  full  in  the 
face,  and  if  they  require  a  plenary  and,  decided  remedy,  however 
costly,  it  will  not  be  long  in  being  found. 

"  It  might  not  be  out  of  place,  were  it  of  any  probable  utility, 
to  inquire  into  the  causes  of  this  want  of  advance  generally  in 
an  art  so  universally  admitted,  in  language,  to  be  important. 
We  scarcely  ever  read  the  description  of  a  new  assembly  room, 
or  theatre,  or  hospital,  or  penitentiary,  in  which  we  do  not  find 
laudatory  and  congratulatory  notices  of  the  excellent  provision 
for  ventilation.  This  provision,  of  course,  in  ninety-nine  cases 
out  of  a  hundred,  is  nothing  more  than  some  small  holes  left  in 
the  ceiling,  the  inefficiency  of  which  has  been  notorious  for  a 
hundred  years.  Still,  such  a  general  recognition  is  sufficient  to 
prove  a  general  necessity. 

"  Our  inefficiency  cannot  be  from  want  of  acquaintance  with 
what  has  been  done  in  other  countries  more  advanced  in  the  art 
of  living,  since  the  books  detailing  the  necessities  and  the  modes 
of  meeting  them,  in  the  most  authoritative  manner  of  investiga 
tion,  are  known  to  every  scientific  inquirer,  and  are  to  be  found 
m  every  considerable  library.  We  must  rather  ascribe  our 
backwardness  to  the  same  general  causes  which  have  kept  archi 
tecture,  both  as  a  useful  and  an  ornamental  art,  at  so  low  an 
ebb  throughout  our  country.  One  of  these  is,  that  for  the 
moderate  capital  we  have  to  devote  to  such  purposes,  we  have  an 
undue  desire,  a  morbid  ambition  to  produce  more  of  splendor 
and  show,  than  is  compatible  with  permanence,  completeness  of 
interior  arrangement,  or  regard  to  hygienic  considerations.  Any- 


176  RURAL    HOMES. 

thing  out  of  sight,  like  the  deep  and  enduring  concrete  founda 
tion,  the  inverted  arches  of  support,  designed  to  meet  the  possi 
ble  failures  of  succeeding  centuries,  or  the  concealed  arrangements 
needful  for  a  thorough  and  universal  ventilation,  which  must 
commence  almost  at  the  corner  stone  and  be  kept  in  continuous 
design  until  the  last  finish,  would  be  struck  out,  in  a  vast 
majority  of  instances,  from  the  architect's  specification,  (if  ho 
dared  to  suggest  them)  as  an  expense  which  might  be  saved 
without  being  felt.  On  the  other  hand,  the  dome,  the  spire,  the 
columns,  the  pilasters  and  balconies,  some  of  which,  as  mere  orna 
mental  appendages,  could  be  added  at  any  time,  now,  or  a 
century  hence,  when  funds  might  be  more  abundant,  or  never, 
would  be  adhered  to  as  essentials,  as  indispensable. 

"  Despite  the  science  and  mature  experience  of  a  thousand 
European  attempts  fully  and  exactly  detailed  in  the  unmistakable 
language  of  description  and  pictorial  representation,  our  building 
committees  would,  assuredly,  after  making  their  personal 
enquiries  among  the  hundred  interested  patentees  or  dealers  in 
new  furnaces,  chimney-tops,  revolving  turn-caps,  and  the  like, 
conclude  that,  amongst  so  many  practical  men,  promising  in 
their  advertisements  and  circulars  so  many  cheap  and  effectual 
methods  of  doing  that  which  the  Old  World  artists  consider  so 
difficult  and  expensive,  some  ready  measures  would  turn  up, 
when  their  part  of  the  duty  was  finished. 

"  The  most  costly  edifice  in  the  Northern  States,  just  finished 
with  eternal  granite,  on  foundations  based  in  the  ocean,  at  a  cost 
of  a  million  of  dollars,  is  an  illustration,  an  abundance  more  of 
which  could  be  easily  adduced  were  not  the  task  an  invidious 
one.  Proposals  for  heating  and  ventilating  were  advertised  for 
after  the  building  was  finished." 


ARTIFICIAL    WARMING.  177 

Presently  he  goes  on  to  say : 

"  Our  present  demand  for  internal  ventilation  as  a  domestic 
necessity,  has  also  been  strongly  influenced  by  the  change  in  the 
modes  of  heating  within  a  few  years.  The  roaring  fire-place, 
built  with  an  open-mouthed  immensity  of  voracity,  as  if  the 
struggle  were  in  getting  rid  of  the  primeval  forest,  has  been 
replaced  by  furnaces,  stoves,  air-tights,  of  all  forms  and  shapes 
which  caprice  or  ingenuity  has  invented.  The  sweeping  flood 
of  air  which  carried  with  it  in  its  course  the  most  liberal 
indraughts  of  the  pure  breath  of  heaven,  compensating  for  the 
abduction  so  largely  of  the  warmed  air  itself  by  the  radiated 
caloric  of  the  blazing  pile,  has  been  dammed  up,  and  that  almost 
entirely.  The  re-respired,  roasted,  ill-conditioned  air  of  the 
dwellings  even  of  the  rich,  is  the  result  of  a  parsimonious 
economy  which  strangely  and  absurdly  exists  as  to  this,  in  a 
thousand  instances,  where  comfort  and  luxury  make  no  other 
sacrifices  to  saving.  Fuel  saving  is  one  of  the  cardinal  virtues 
in  the  housekeeper's  creed,  while  provision  saving,  or  pure  water 
economy,  would  be  scouted  as  the  height  of  meanness  or  uncalled 
for  self-denial." 

Dr.  Bell  has  himself  matured  a  system  of  warming  and  venti 
lating  the  buildings  committed  to  his  charge,  so  perfect  in  its 
working,  and  so  triumphantly  demonstrative  in  its  results  of  the 
advantage  to  be  gained  by  attention  to  these  sister  sciences,  that 
his  opinions  and  directions  have  enforced  weight  which  they 
could  independently,  however,  have  had  from  their  philosophical 
lucidity,  and  the  zeal  and  honest  heartiness  with  which  they  are 
given  in  the  little  work  containing  the  address  from  which  the 
above  have  been  quoted.* 

*  "  The  Practical  Methods  of  Ventilating  Buildings,  being  the  Annual 
8* 


178  EURAL    HOMES. 

In  private  houses  where  other  heat  than  that  obtained  from 
stove  or  fire-place  is  necessary,  the  means  usually  adopted  is,  to 
have  constructed  in  the  cellar  either  a  hot-air  furnace,  a  steam, 
or  a  hot-water  apparatus.  Of  the  first  there  are  several  kinds  in 
use,  and  the  objection  to  nearly  all  of  them  is,  that  they  vitiate 
the  air  whose  temperature  they  raise.  This  objection  can  only 
be  moderated  by  increasing  the  radiating  surface  against  which 
the  air  is  brought  in  contact ;  and  in  selecting  a  hot-air  furnace, 
the  principle  that  should  govern  a  choice  would  be  this.  But 
loss  of  heat  is  thought  by  furnace  makers  so  serious  an  evil  that 
the  attempt  generally  has  been,  not  how  large  an  area  of  mode 
rately-heated  metal  they  can  present  to  the  passage  of  the  air 
for  its  absorption  of  caloric,  but  how  intensely  they  can  heat  an 
iron  pot  without  cracking,  against  which  the  air  may  scorch  and 
burn,  and  be  shot  into  the  room  above,  red-hot  and  stifling,  on 
the  principle,  in  fact,  of  "  making  a  little  go  a  great  way." 

The  coal-pan  or  pot  of  a  furnace  should  be  broad  and  shallow, 
not  deep  and  narrow,  experience  and  scientific  test  having  shown 
that  the  heat  is  obtained  more  healthfully,  more  regularly,  and 
with  increased  economy  from  the  former.  The  radiator  should 
be  large,  and  the  more  the  air  is  twisted  and  drawn  within  and 
around  its  coils,  the  more  easily  will  its  temperature  be  raised. 
The  air  to  be  warmed  should  be  drawn  from  a  pure  and  unde- 
filed  source  from  without  the  building.  That,  too,  from  an 

Address  before  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  May  31,  1848. 
With  an  appendix  on  heating  by  steam  and  hot  water.  By  Luther  V. 
Bell,  M.D.,  LL.D.  Honorary  Member  of  the  New  York  State  Medical 
Society,  etc.,  Physician  and  Superintendent  of  the  McLean  Asylum  for 
the  Insane,  a  department  of  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital. 
Boston:  Dickinson  Printing  Establishment;  Damrell  and  Moore,  1848." 


ARTIFICIAL   WARMING.  179 

elevation,  if  possible,  or  at  all  events,  from  such  a  point  where  it 
is  not  contaminated  by  contiguity  to  cesspool  or  drain,  for,  if 
there  be  any  aromatically  offensive  or  unhealthy  particles  held 
in  suspension  in  the  air,  then  their  existence  and  effects  will  be 
rendered  very  palpable  after  it  has  been  heated. 

The  waste  or  smoke-pipe  should  be  made  a  means  of  ventila 
tion  by  running  within  a  shaft  communicating  with  the  rooms, 
and,  in  addition  to  this,  the  foul  air  from  all  or  any  of  them  may 
be  gathered  into  one  duct  and  burnt  in  the  furnace  itself  by 
making  the  duct  connect  with  its  mouth,  and  no  other  means  of 
feeding  the  fire  being  provided,  its  combustion  will  draw  off  the 
vitiated  gases  that  are  presented  to  it,  in  return  restoring  pure 
and  freshly-warmed  air — like  a  great  lung,  the  arteries  will  be 
fed  and  emptied,  and  the  body  be  kept  healthy,  and  its  veins 
filled  with  life-giving  fluid.  These  remarks  will  equally  apply  to 
all  systems  of  warming. 

Warming  by  means  of  circulating  hot  water  throughout  the 
building,  though  pleasant  and  mild,  is  not  very  efficacious  or 
reliable,  and  is  costly.  The  difficulties  are  in  keeping  the  fluid 
at  a  temperature,  that,  without  throwing  off  steam  (thereby 
risking  an  explosion),  shall  be  sufficient  to  radiate  enough  heat 
within  the  rooms  ;  and  in  concentrating  the  mechanism  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  avoid  the  necessity  of  any  great  length  of  pipe. 
Where  that  is  unavoidable,  the  water  has  become  so  cooled  before 
it  reaches  the  extremities  of  the  pipes  that  its  radiating  power 
is  too  weak  to  be  of  any  use.  In  the  many  instances  where  this 
system  of  circulating  water  has  been  tried  as  a  means  of  im 
parting  heat,  after  a  tedious  endurance  of  disasters  and  failures, 
the  plan  has  generally  been  abandoned.  Still,  in  a  small  house, 
and  where  only  an  auxiliary  increase  of  temperature  is  required, 


180  RURAL    HOMES. 

with  a  boiler  and  pipes  of  large  size,  this  mode  of  obtaining  heat 
might  be  trusted  to,  particularly  as  the  air  is  soft  and  pleasantly 
warmed  thereby. 

The  circulation  of  pipes  charged  with  steam  in  and  about  the 
rooms  of  a  dwelling  is  a  more  reliable  method.  Where  great 
heat  is  needed,  as  in  a  forcing-house,  a  large  and  lofty  hall,  the 
doors  of  which  are  frequently  opened,  and  for  manufactories  and 
public  buildings,  this  agent  can  advantageously  be  used.  It 
requires  care,  however,  in  its  management,  and  seems  difficult 
with  the  present  apparatus  in  use  to  control  a  small  supply. 
This  mode  has  but  little  favor  with  house-keepers.  I  will 
therefore  pass  on  to  heating  by  means  of  air  warmed  by  hot 
water, 

This  is  the  most  perfect  of  all  the  systems  now  in  use,  and 
cannot  fail  to  become  universal  when  its  application  and  advan 
tages  are  thoroughly  known.  Its  principle  is  this :  A  boiler 
fed  with  a  supply  of  fuel  smaller  per  diem  than  is  needed  by  an 
ordinary  kitchen  range,  keeps  at  a  proper  temperature  a  certain 
quantity  of  water  which,  circulated  through  many  hundred  feet 
of  pipe  contained  in  a  metal  chest,  returns  to  the  boiler  to 
be  again  and  again  passed  on,  its  waste  compensated  by  a 
supply  from  a  self-acting  cistern  in  connection  with  the  boiler ; 
this  cistern  so  placed  as  to  be  itself  kept  at  a  moderate  tempera 
ture,  so  that  its  water  when  the  evaporation  of  that  within  the 
boiler  requires  replenishing  may  not  too  suddenly  cool  it  down 
and  retard  the  action.  To  still  farther  ensure  the  regularity  of 
its  working,  (as  dependent  on  uniform  temperature,)  the 
apparatus  is  furnished  with  two  boilers,  one  within  the  other, 
the  circulating  pipes  being  freshly  fed  from  the  one,  and  dis 
charging  into  the  other  in  such  a  manner  as  that  by  the  time 


ARTIFICIAL    WARMING.  181 

the  supply  is  again  returned  to  the  boiler,  the  quantity  previously 
discharged  has  become  so  restored  in  temperature  as  to  be  ready 
to  take  its  place. 

These  pipes,  all  packed  into  a  metal  chest,  with  spaces 
between,  and  each  extremity  firmly  attached  into  a  distributing 
box  at  one  end,  and  a  union  box  at  the  other,  for  the  supply  and 
return  of  the  heated  water,  radiate  and  give  out  heat  to  the  air 
>vithin  the  chest  or  air  chamber.  This  chamber  is  fed  with  cold 
air  from  outside  the  building,  which  circulating  all  around  the 
heated  surfaces  of  the  pipes,  is  conducted  up  a  wide  shaft  into 
the  chambers  to  be  warmed.  The  advantages  of  this  method 
are  great.  They  are,  first,  equable  temperature  and  purity  of  the 
air ;  freedom  from  trouble  or  expense  in  attending,  for  the  fire 
once  lighted,  the  boiler  feeds  itself,  and  the  cistern  may  bo  sup 
plied  from  the  roof,  whilst  the  consumption  of  fuel  is  very  small ; 
softness  and  elasticity  in  the  warmed  air,  by  which  even  highly 
polished  furniture  is  never  cracked  or  injured  as  by  ordinary  hot- 
air  furnaces.  And  last,  and  this  the  most  important,  admission 
of  air,  moderately,  but  always  sufficiently  warmed,  which  is 
undeprived  of  even  the  minutest  atom  of  its  vitality,  and  is  cir 
culated  through  the  room  as  fresh  and  as  invigorating  in  its 
oxygen  as  it  can  be  found  in  the  open  air.  The  expense  of  this 
admirable  heating  apparatus  is  not  greater  than  that  of  any 
satisfactory  machine  in  vogue,  and  its  action  is  certain.  In 
selecting  one,  a  large  size  should  be  chosen,  as  the  advantage  of 
a  large  flow  of  moderately-warmed  air  over  a  condensed  draught 
of  atmosphere  highly  raised  in  temperature  is  very  great.  The 
registers  or  openings  into  the  rooms  should  also  be  large,  at 
least  twice  or  even  four  times  the  area  usually  seen.  The  mild 
genial  breeze  flowing  from  such  an  enlarged  opening  is  truly 


182 


RURAL   HOMES. 


JANES'S  HOT-WATER  APPARATUS.— SIDE  VIEW. 


ARTIFICIAL   WARMING.  183 

delicious,  and  far  more  healthy  and  luxurious  than  the  fiery 
current  from  a  hot-air  furnace.     In  a  room  sixteen  by  twenty, 

and  twelve  feet  high,  the  size  of 
the  warming  register  should 
not  be  less  than  eighteen  by 
thirty-six  inches  ;  this  is  larger 
I  know  than  what  a  furnace 
man  would  put  up,  but  if  you 
will  be  advised  by  me,  dear 
readers,  you  will  choose  the 
liberal  area  I  have  given  or 
even  one  greater. 

The  apparatus  is  for  sale  in 
New  York,  and  is  called 
"  Janes '*  Patent  Hot-Water 
Apparatus,  for  Warming  and 
Ventilating  Buildings? 

Its  latter  object  is  secured 
by  a  downward  shaft  from  all 
the  rooms  into  which  hot-air  is 
introduced,  leading  into  a  duct 
which  is  drawn  up  into  the 
smoke-flue,  and  by  means  of 
radiation  of  heat  from  the 
metal  waste  or  smoke-pipe  is 
conducted  up  the  shaft  and 
discharged  at  its  opening. 
This  is  both  simple  and  effec 
tive,  and  greatly  adds  to  the 
practical  value  of  the  apparatus. 

HOT- "\VATKR  APFABATCS.— PLAH. 


184  RURAL    HOMES. 

A  representation  is  given,  both  in  elevation  and  plan. 

The  various  parts  of  the  apparatus  may  be  understood  by 
reference  to  the  letters  thereon  and  to  the  accompanying  descrip 
tion. 

A,  boiler.  B,  furnace  door.  (7,  ash-pit.  _Z),  flow  pipe  from 
boiler.  J£,  return  pipe  to  inside  boiler  (not  shown).  F,  Return 
pipe  to  outside  boiler  from  union  box,  /.  6r,  connecting  pipe 
between  outside  and  inside  boilers.  H,  distributing  box.  /, 
union  box.  K,  K,  gang- ends.  L,  supply  cistern.  M,  M,  cold 
air  duct.  JV,  hot  air  duct.  0,  sinoke  pipe.  P,  damper  rod. 
Q,  wall  of  house  or  partition.  R,  R,  wall  of  hot  chamber. 
£,  S,  air  pipe.  T,  gauge  cock. 

This  will  suffice  to  make  this  desirable  method  of  warming  a 
house  intelligible.  It  has  been  in  use  several  years  in  the  cities 
and  in  country  houses  in  various  parts  of  the  States,  and  has 
never  failed,  as  I  have  been  assured,  in  giving  satisfaction.  As 
a  healthy,  manageable,  and  economic  apparatus,  it  has  veiy 
great  merit,  and  is  rapidly  superseding  all  other  modes  of  warm 
ing  where  its  excellencies  are  at  all  known. 

There  are  a  few  general  directions  that  may  advantageously 
be  offered  as  applicable  to  all  warming  apparatus. 

The  cold  air  to  supply  the  rooms  when  heated  should  be 
drawn  from  outside  the  building,  (as  before  stated,)  and  in  such 
a  pipe  or  duct  as  can  readily  be  preserved  air-tight,  so  that  none 
of  the  impure  air  in  the  cellar  can  become  commingled  with  it , 
the  furnace  should  lead  at  once  into  the  escape  or  smoke-flue, 
as  where  a  long,  horizontal  pipe  has  to  be  resorted  to,  to  connect 
therewith,  loss  of  power,  loss  of  heat,  and  a  vitiated  air  within 
the  cellar,  and  possibly  upward  escape  into  the  house,  are  the 


ARTIFICIAL    WARMING.  185 

consequences.  The  hot  air-coriducting  pipes  should  be  large, 
and  should  increase  in  diameter  as  they  increase  in  length ; 
they  should  if  possible  be  so  arranged  as  that  when  cut  off 
from  any  one  room  the  valve  may  be  shut  quite  closely  to  the 
furnace,  to  ensure  which  a  crank  and  wire  might  be  attached, 
leading  into  the  room  and  closing  a  flap  or  valve  in  the  pipe  at 
the  point  where  it  leads  immediately  to  the  chamber. 

I  have  before  alluded  to  the  increased  size  of  the  registers 
within  the  room — if  the  air  could  be  broken  up  into  several  ducts 
before  discharging  itself,  the  effect  would  be  still  more  desirable. 

The  cornice  of  all  ornamental  rooms  could  contain  a  tube,  the 
two  ends  of  which  would  open  into  the  ventilating  shaft  so  often 
described,  this  tube  furnished  with  openings  here  and  there  in 
area  a  little  more  in  all  than  that  of  the  shaft,  and  the  cornice 
perforated  in  such  a  manner  as  very  many  ornamental  designs 
permit,  would  secure  a  perfect  and  even  ventilation  of  the  apart 
ment.  A  valve  in  sight  could  not  then  be  necessary,  but  should 
be  made  within  a  box  where  the  two  ends  of  the  tube  could  be 
inserted,  and  then  communicate  with  the  discharging  shaft.  By 
this  means  all  risk  of  downward  current  would  be  removed.  I 
would  here  say  that  Janes,  Beebe  &  Co.,  the  inventors  and 
manufacturers  of  the  warming  apparatus  that  bears  the  name  of 
the  first  in  the  firm,  and  which  I  have  described,  have  made 
ventilation  on  the  principles  above  detailed  their  especial  study ; 
those  building  would  find  it  greatly  to  their  advantage  to  intrust 
so  important  a  means  of  comfort  in  a  home  to  their  skill  and 
control. 

The  proper  arrangement  of  water  conveniences  in  a  house 
should  receive  notice  here,  as  certainly  -a  home  can  be  neither 


186  RURAL    HOMES. 

perfect  nor  comfortable  without  their  adequate  provision.  In 
such  parts  of  the  country  where  water  is  easily  obtained  at  a 
superior  elevation  or  is  forced  up  by  a  ram,  the  most  perfect 
arrangements  can  easily  be  suggested  ;  but  where  neither  of 
these  advantages  can  be  enjoyed,  and  a  pump  and  manual 
labor  or  a  rain  cistern  in  the  roof  are  all  that  can  be  relied  upon, 
considerable  ingenuity  is  required  to  make  the  free  use  of  the 
pure  element  attainable  with  ease  and  economy. 

A  bathing-room  to  be  really  useful — useful,  too,  every  morn 
ing  and  evening,  (as  it  should  be,)  must  be  on  the  chamber  floor, 
hence  its  supply  is  difficult  and  troublesome  where  the  water  has 
to  be  raised  or  carried.  A  large  cistern  in  the  roof  is  not  always 
desirable,  and  as  a  constantly  filled  reservoir  is  scarcely  ever  so. 
Warm  water  heated  to  boiling  point  is  only  needed  in  very 
small  quantity  for  bathing  purposes  and  is  not  difficult  to  raise, 
but  a  supply  of  cold  sufficient  to  reduce  to  the  temperature 
necessary  for  bathing  requires  some  other  means  than  the  simple 
hydrostatic  principle  that  will  force  the  heated  water  from  the 
boiler  below. 

Perhaps  the  simplest  is  to  have  a  small  cistern  above  the 
bathing-room  supplied  by  a  force  pump  from  below.  This  is 
easily  done,  the  only  objection  being  the  manual  labor  required 
to  fill  it.  Vario'is  contrivances  have  been  made  to  obviate  this 
difficulty  ;  one  house  that  I  know  of  has  a  windmill  which  works 
a  small  pump  that  supplies  the  chamber  floor,  and  as  in  thirty 
minutes  a  supply  equal  to  the  consumption  of  forty-eight  hours 
can  by  this  means  be  obtained,  the  use  of  this  capricious  force 
is  really  not  so  liable  to  objection  as  might  at  first  sight  appear. 
Another  method  I  have  seen  has  been  by  the  turning  of  a  small 
water-wheel  sunk  to  the  level  of  the  spring  which  supplies  the 


ARTIFICIAL   WARMING.  187 

well ;  this  has  power  enough  to  work  a  small  force-pump  which 
draws  off  the  overflow  into  a  cistern  or  reservoir  dug  by  the  side 
of  the  well  and  conveys  it  up  into  a  cistern  as  before.  In  another 
instance,  the  stable  has  been  made  a  means  of  obtaining  the 
necessary  motive  power,  a  horse  being  used  to  turn  a  tread- 
wheel  attached  to  the  floor  of  his  stall,  and  which  communicating 
with  a  pump  and  cistern  as  the  other  contrivances,  has  answered 
the  purpose. 

But  perhaps  the  handiest  and  easiest  way  is  to  have  in  the 
scullery  or  sink-room  one  of  Streever's  Double-Action  Pumps, 
the  action  of  which  is  so  easy,  and  the  stream  so  continuous  and 
so  readily  forced  to  even  a  very  considerable  elevation,  that  no 
domestic  could  reasonably  object  to  the  ten  minutes'  labor  every 
day  necessary  to  keep  the  cistern  full.  This  pump  is  both  a  lift 
and  a  force-pump,  and  is  double-actioned,  that  is,  produces  its 
stream  at  both  an  upward  and  a  downward  stroke,  is  thus  more 
steadily  and  easily  worked,  and-  has  a  leverage  so  powerful  that 
a  child's  arm  could  use  one  of  the  largest  size  made  for  domestic 
purposes.  One  pump  would  thus  suffice  for  all  wants  ;  it  could 
be  made  to  connect  with  the  well  and  with  the  rain  water  cis 
tern,  and  also  with  the  boiler ;  could  conduct  to  and  from  the 
upper  cistern  and  the  bathing-rooms,  and  by  shutting  off  the 
taps  of  pipes  not  required  could  be  worked  as  an  ordinary  lift- 
pump  for  domestic  uses,  or  be  converted  by  opening  them  again 
and  shutting  off  the  spout  into  a  forcing-pump,  with  ease  and 
dispatch.  A  flexible  hose  could,  if  thought  desirable,  be  pro 
vided,  which  might  be  attached  and  lead  up  to  the  cistern  when 
required,  thus  obviating  the  necessity  for  permanently  fixed 
plumbers'  work,  saving  expense,  removing  danger  from  frost, 
and,  moreover,  affording  a  raluable  aid  in  case  of  fire. 


188  RURAL  HOMES. 

These  hints  may  suffice  to  show  that  the  luxury  of  daily  use 
of  pure  water  is  attainable  at  moderate  cost  even  in  the  country 
where  Croton  pipes  do  not  liberally  lead  the  fluid  over  the 
dwelling. 

It  is  necessary  that  the  bathing-room  be  effectually  ventilated 
— still  more  necessarily  the  water-closets.  These  latter  may  be 
most  thoroughly  kept  free  from  impure  air  by  having  an  air- 
duct  leading  from  below  the  seat  into  the  discharging  ventilating 
shaft.  By  this  means  the  draught  is  downwards  and  through 
the  apparatus — hence  no  unpleasant  air  can  rise  from  the  soil- 
pipe,  and  all  impurity  is  drawn  away.  This  plan  has  been 
adopted  with  entire  success  in  the  McLean  Asylum. 

Bathing-rooms  require  ventilating  apertures  near  the  ceiling, 
as  the  air  being  heated  would  rise,  but  they  must  also  have 
means  of  supply  of  pure  air  into  the  lower  part  of  the  room  to 
produce  a  circulation. 

Such  simple  means  as  those  detailed  in  this  and  in  the 
previous  chapter  on  ventilation,  will  be  found  to  render  warm 
and  sweet  the  interior  of  a  rural  home.  It  is  hoped  that  the. 
inattention  that  has  allowed  amateurs  and  professional  men  too 
long  to  leave  these  important  qualities  to  the  hands  of  this  and 
that  advertising  quack  is  passing  away,  and  that  the  houses  of 
the  next  half  century  will  show  that  Americans  are  not  unmind 
ful  of  the  almost  peculiar  purity  and  elasticity  of  the  atmosphere 
that  circles  their  country  homes,  and  that  its  admission  will  be 
courted  and  welcomed,  and  its  purity  preserved  intact,  instead 
ofshutting.it  out  and  charring  and  poisoning  it  as  now. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  simply  call  my  readers'  attention 
to  a  novel  method  of  warming  and  lighting  a  room  by  the  fire- 


ARTIFICIAL    WARMING. 


180 


grate,  which  has  been  carried  out  in  England.  The  grate  is  set 
into  a  reflecting  speculum,  of  polished  metal,  and  the  light,  from 
the  combustion  of  the  coal  refracted  into  the  room. 


BEFLECTING  GRATE. 

One  of  great  elegance  of  design  is  here  shown,  and  may  serve 
to  give  my  readers  some  idea  of  the  appearance  such  a  "  reflecting 
grate"  would  have.  At  present,  I  am  not  aware  of  its  being 
manufactured  in  this  country  ;  but  if  the  demand  were  made, 
there  is  spirit  enough  among  iron-workers  to  supply  the  new 
want. 


CHAPTEE  XHI. 

SUMMER  FURNITURE CANE-WORK ENAMELED  WARE. 

A  HOME  in  the  country  requires  furniture  in  its  way  more 
difficult  to  select  than  to  choose  between  this  and  that  costly 
article,  offered  by  Baudouine  or  others,  for  town  use.  It  is  doubt 
ful  whether,  as  yet,  the  true  ideal  has  been  nearly  reached  in 
country  furniture.  The  painted  ware,  that  finds  favor  with  many, 
has  some  grave  objections  to  its  universal  use,  in  the  great  tempt 
ation  with  which  its  makers  are  assailed  to  lavish  gilding  and 
decoration,  and  which  has  rendered,  in  too  many  instances,  this 
style  of  furniture  gaudy  and  bizarre.  The  true  way  to  treat 
such  furniture  seems  to  be,  not  in  imitation  of  rosewood,  buhl, 
or  inlaid  work,  nor  by  gilding  or  bronzing ;  but  by  giving  the  set 
a  quiet,  smooth  tint,  with  the  parts  picked  out  in  flat,  carefully 
contrasted  or  harmonized  lines  of  other  colors  ;  here  and  there 
medallions  may  be  advantageously  introduced,  and  the  pro 
jecting  knobs,  scroll-work,  feet,  etc.,  may  be  enriched  with  more 
elaborately-finished  decoration,  in  which,  however,  an  effect  more 
truly  in  unison  with  good  taste  may  be  secured  by  carefully 
avoiding  all  shading,  or,  as  it  is  technically  called,  "  relief." 

As  articles  made  and  finished  in  this  manner  can  be  economi- 


SUMMER   FURNITURE.  191 

cally  afforded,  and  from  their  light  and  gay  appearance  are  in 
very  general  use,  a  description  of  rural  homes  would  not  be  com 
plete  without  some  detailed  directions  as  to  the  selection  and 
arrangement  of  pieces  of  enameled  ware ;  in  the  latter  portion 
of  this  chapter  I  shall  return  to  its  consideration,  preferring  to 
dwell  upon  the  simpler  and  more  peculiar  styles  first. 

In  most  cases,  cottage  furniture,  of  a  simple  kind,  would  look 
best  if  left  in  the  natural  wood,  unpainted  and  unadorned ;  its 
surface  carefully  rubbed  down,  oiled,  and  dead  varnished.  I 
have  often  seen  such  furniture,  that  has  not  only  been  very 
pleasing  in  appearance  when  new,  but  after  standing  the  wear 
and  tear  of  ten  or  twelve  years,  has  looked  far  better  at  the  end 
of  that  time  than  any  painted  ware  would  have  done.  It  is,  in 
fact,  a  recommendation  to  articles  of  furniture  treated  in  this 
manner,  that  they  improve  in  color  and  smoothness  of  surface 
with  use  ;  and  with  the  aid  of  a  little  cold  linseed  oil  rubbed  in  by 
means  of  a  flannel  cloth  every  month  or  two,  their  gloss  and  tone 
of  coloring  become  richer  every  day. 

Miss  Bremer  makes  frequent  pleasant  mention  of  the  cherry 
and  walnut  furniture,  in  her  "  Neighbors"  and  her  "  Home,"  and 
evidently  would,  were  she  to  write  on  such  a  subject,  point 
her  pen  against  French  polish  and  upholstery  for  country  use. 

For  the  hall,  a  settle,  either  of  heavy  wood,  with  carved  claw 
and  high  back,  or  one  of  the  light,  easy  bamboo  seats,  the 
Berrians  delight  in  presenting  in  such  variety  of  form  and  size  ; 
a  chair  or  two,  of  comfortable  form,  and  of  lightness  such  as  may 
be  carried  out  upon  the  veranda,  when  an  extra  seat  is  wanted  ; 
Indian  matting  upon  the  floor,  an  iron  hat  and  umbrella-stand, 
a  bracket  or  two  for  flower-vases,  a  folding  bracket-table  against 
the  wall  for  occasional  use,  a  thermometer  and  a  weather-glass, 


192  RURAL   HOMES. 

with  perhaps  a  cabinet  of  dried  grasses,  or  other  little  museum 
curiosities,  will  be  all  that  can  be  needed  to  render  that  portion 
of  the  house  home-like,  characteristic,  and  comfortable. 

The  library,  with  its  book-cases  framed  in  recesses  of  the  walk 
purposely  left  in  building,  the  books  protected  with  doors  of 
latticed  wire-work,  and  glass  or  curtain  behind,  as  taste  may 
suggest,  with  a  good,  large,  open  fire-place,  and  a  quaint  old 
chimney-piece  above,  on  which  may  stand  a  clock  to  mark  the 
flight  of  time  that  the  books  beguile  ;  the  walls  papered  probably 
with  a  quiet  oak-colored  paper,  the  furniture  (such  that  is  heavy 
enough  to  require  other  than  cane  for  its  material)  of  black 
walnut,  un-French-polished,  and  with  a  few  pictures  or  engravings 
hung  up,  or  in  portfolio-stands  about  the  room,  an  easy  chair, 
and  some  vases  of  cut  flowers,  can  readily  be  made  as  cosy  a 
place  as  any  heart  could  desire,  without  seeking  furniture  other 
than  country  handicraft  can  supply. 

The  parlor,  drawing-room,  or  whatever  it  may  be  called,  will 
permit  of  only  greater  variety,  not  any  greater  splendor,  in  its 
plenishing ;  little  knick-knacks,  if  curious  or  beautiful,  may  be 
strewed  here  and  there,  and  a  richly-wrought  armoire,  or  cabinet, 
perhaps  a  gem  of  an  inlaid  table,  or  a  glorious  old  "  moyen-tige" 
clock  upon  the  mantel,  may  show  that  the  wealth  is  not  absent 
that  might  fill  the  room  with  costly  furniture,  only  the  restraining 
good  taste  is  also  in  equal  plenty.  Lounges,  conversation-chairs, 
and  ottomans  may  (if  needed)  be  there,  but  the  faiiy  fingers  of 
lady  workers  can  better  render  them  beautiful  than  the  most 
cunning  of  fashionable  upholsterers.  Suspended  baskets  for 
flowers  are  pretty  embellishments  to  a  drawing-room,  particularly 
to  any  recess,  as  for  instance,  that  of  a  bay-window ;  and  the 


SUMMER    FURNITURE.  193 

little  "  Fisher  Boy,"  so  truthfully  suggestive  of  quiet  home  life, 
may  deservedly  find  a  niche  somewhere  in  the  apartment. 

Some  exquisitely  designed  specimens  of  Wedge  wood- ware 
have  recently  found  their  way  over  here  ;  two  of  them  so  truly 
beautiful,  I  am  tempted  to  give  in  this  connection  illustrations  ; 
they  were  made  from  the  articles  themselves,  and  I  have  lately 
seen  them  at  various  stores  in  New  York.  These  were  pur 
chased  at  Collamore's,  477  Broadway,  and  I  presume  there  are 
more  like  them. 


FLOWER  VASK. 


The  beauty  and  delicacy  of  this  design  are  very  great,  the 
taller  one  is  equally  elegant  but  of  different  character. 

Recesses  left  in  building  the  walls,  may  serve  as  simple 
cabinets  for  a  few  choice  books,  some  old,  time-honored  china,  or 
other  articles  of  vertu,  valued  more  from  association  than  from 
intrinsic  cost,  and  the  mirror  that  custom  seems  to  demand  a 


194 


RURAL    HOMES. 


place  for,  should  be  simply  let  into  the  wall  without  frame  or 
gilding,  serving  only  as  a  reflecting  face  to  image  the  ob^ecta  o 


FLOWEK  VASE. 

interest  in  the  room  and  out,  making  thus  a  home  picture,  not  » 
gaudy  show. 

If  the  floor  be  carpeted,  a  pattern  of  small  figures,  with  cheer 
ful  colors,  in  which  green  bears  but  a  small  proportion,  (for  if 
green  be  used,  red  must  greatly  preponderate  to  kill  it,)  and  in 
which  the  chromatic  effect  is  that  of  a  mosaic,  rather  than  of 
any  specifically  detailed  design,  should  be  chosen.  A  large 
pattern  destroys  the  apparent  size  of  the  room,  and  dwarfs  all 


SUMMER    FURNITURE.  195 

other  colored  embellishments  in  the  apartment.  Carefully  shaded 
flowers,  wreaths,  and  other  vegetative  decoration  always  appear 
out  of  place  upon  the  floor  to  be  trodden  on :  crushing  living 
flowers  under  foot,  even  to  inhale  their  odor,  is  a  barbarity,  but 
to  tread  on  worsted  ones,  odorless,  and  without  form,  certainly 
seems  senseless. 

The  walls,  if  papered,  may  be  prettily  and  gaily  decorated  by 
using  what  is  called  encaustic  paper.  This  paper  is  one  color, 
and  without  any  pattern,  its  surface  exactly  resembling  the  finest 
painted  wall. 

It  may  very  easily  be  used  in  such  a  manner,  as  at  small  cost 
to  produce  all  the  effect  of  an  artistic  fresco  or  oil  painting.  A 
proper  tint  being  selected  for  the  back-ground,  and  the  whole 
wall  covered  therewith,  portions  of  paper  in  another  color  may 
be  placed  upon  it,  either  only  in  simple  lines,  or  in  larger  surfaces 
in  accordance  with  some  pre-arranged  design.  By  this  means 
panels  (using  no  artifice  however  to  give  shaded,  and  sunk  or 
raised  surfaces  thereto — a  tricky  abomination  in  great  favor  with 
most  "  fresco-painters")  and  compartments  may  be  made  upon 
the  wall,  and  by  using  fine,  thread-like  lines  of  very  bright  color 
upon  the  edge  where  one  color  cuts  upon  the  other,  a  very  beau 
tiful  and  truly  artistic  effect  may  be  produced.  In  a  boudoir 
or  drawing-room  or  in  the  guest-chamber,  medallions  here  and 
there,  at  the  corners  and  in  the  centre  of  the  compartments, 
containing  a  landscape  or  some  floral  decoration,  will  impart  a 
rich  and  dressy  finish  to  the  rooms.  Medallions  of  any  prettily 
painted  subjects,  treated  after  the  manner  of  Watteau,  may  be 
procured  where  the  encaustic  paper  is  obtained,  and  the  colors 
matched  therewith. 

But  the  prettiest  and  most  simply  elegant  effect  is  produced 


196  RURAL    HOMES. 

by  only  using  two  colors.  Mr.  Pugin,  the  great  English,  archi 
tect  and  colorist,  has  shown  how  pleasingly  this  can  be  done,  as 
have  also  Owen  Jones  (the  chromal  decorator  of  the  Crystal 
Palace),  and  many  who  have  sought  to  raise  the  character  of 
internal  colored  decoration  with  increased  economy  and  good 
taste.  The  inexpensive  nature  of  the  materials,  and  the  elegant 
results  that  may  be  obtained,  recommend  this  method  of  covering 
the  walls  to  all  about  completing  their  country  homes  ;  the 
ladies  might  find  interesting  and  pleasant  occupation  in  designing 
and  supervising  the  process,  and  as  when  done  the  work  is  very 
durable  and  the  paper  will  bear  scrubbing.  I  suppose  house 
keepers  will  not  object  to  making  the  experiment. 

The  colors  to  be  selected  for  the  walls  must  depend  upon  the 
use,  the  nature  of  the  light,  size,  style,  and  furniture  of  the  room. 
In  a  dining-room,  particularly  if  its  walls  are  to  be  embellished 
with  pictures  in  gilded  frames,  the  color  may  be  a  sage  green,  or 
that  which  goes  by  the  name  of  "  fallen  leaf."  These  colors  just 
so  much  tinted  as  that  their  hue  shows  only  by  contrast  with  a 
sheet  of  purely  white  paper.  The  baseboard,  doors,  and  other 
woodwork  of  the  room  should  be  dark  oak  or  black  walnut,  and 
just  under  the  cornice  (if  there  be  any)  and  two  inches  from  the 
woodwork  should  be  a  fine  riband-like  line  cut  out  of  paper  of  a 
pure  and  bright  primary  red  about  one  sixth  of  an  inch  in  width. 
If  the  wood-work  be  maple,  light  oak,  or  white,  between  the 
green  and  it  should  be  a  margin  of  about  four  inches  wide  of 
pearly  green  of  the  same  tone  as  the  walls,  but  many  degrees 
lighter ;  on  the  centre  of  this,  a  fine  line  not  more  than  the 
eighth  of  an  inch  wide  of  pure  red,  and  on  the  edges  of  the  light 
and  darker  green,  a  line  rather  wider,  say  one  sixth  of  an  inch, 
of  pure  blue.  The  corners  may  be  enriched  by  giving  to  the 


BUMMER    FURNITURE.  197 

lines  some  curving  knot  or  rectangular  fret ;  a  little  ingenuity 
and  a  sharp  pair  of  scissors  will  produce  them  as  fast  as  wanted. 

In  a  library,  where  but  very  little  of  the  wall  space  is  left 
uncovered  by  bookcases,  cabinets,  or  pictures,  a  very  rich  and 
quaint  appearance  may  be  given  by  diapering  the  walls  in  two 
or  more  colors.  If  the  bookcases,  etc.  be  of  dark  wood,  let  the 
ground-work  be  a  rich,  deep  blue,  on  this,  in  finest  lines,  work  a 
net-work  of  brilliant  red  or  orange  in  some  lace-like  pattern  that 
a  lady-fancy  will  easily  suggest :  or  a  cold  diaper  may  be  made 
by  using  blue  as  before  and  letting  the  net- work  or  pattern 
thereon  be  of  very  much  lighter  tint  of  the  same.  Rosettes  or 
small  cut  patterns  placed  in  conformity  with  some  set  design 
upon  the  ground  tint  of  the  walls  will  produce  the  same  effect, 
only  care  must  be  used  that  they  do  not  appear  too  "  spotty." 

Drawing-rooms,  boudoirs,  etc.  that  require  a  more  elaborate 
decoration  need  some  specific  design  especially  adapted  to  the 
particular  room.  Enough  has  been  said,  I  trust,  to  hint  how 
cheaply  and  with  what  perfect  taste,  a  novel  and  elegant  effect 
may  be  produced  by  the  use  of  "  encaustic"  or  one-colored  paper. 

A  material  now  in  very  general  use  in  this  countr},  the  rattan 
or  cane  of  the  East  Indies,  affords  an  immense  variety  of  articles 
of  furniture,  so  strong,  light,  and  inexpensive,  that  it  seems 
peculiarly  adapted  to  general  introduction  in  rural  homes. 

Its  manufacture  is  now  becoming  so  important  as  to  furnish 
employment  to  a  very  large  number  of  persons.  In  the  House 
of  Refuge  alone,  there  are  between  three  and  four  hundred  boys 
at  work  upon  cane  seats,  and  at  several  places  in  Bloomingdale 
and  in  the  suburbs  of  New  York  are  a  number  of  Germans  who 
have  in  their  employment  at  least  two  thousand  girls  occupied 
in  this  manufacture. 


108 


RURAL    HOMES. 


SUMMER    FURNITURE.  199 

The  Messrs.  Berrian,  in  Broadway,  are  the  most  extensive 
manufacturers  of  this  article ;  they  have,  in  fact,  created  the  trade 
and  with  it  a  name  for  themselves.  The  articles  of  furniture  I 
have  selected  to  illustrate  the  use  of  this  strong  and  light 
material  can  all  be  procured  at  their  warerooms,  where  an 
immense  variety  is  kept. 

The  wood  of  which  the  frames  for  the  chairs,  etc.  are  made  is 
white  oak  or  hickory,  and  is,  in  the  first  instance,  selected  with 
great  care  so  that  the  grain  may  be  straight.  After  being 
steamed  to  soften  it,  it  is  bent  into  the  required  forms  and 
allowed  to  dry,  so  that  it  may  not  shrink  or  start  out  of  shape 
after  it  has  been  made  up. 

The  cane  itself  (rattan,  as  it  is  properly  called)  is  split,  where 
it  is  bound  on  the  frame-work — some  pieces  of  furniture  show  the 
wood  in  its  undivided  state.  As  yet,  the  manufacturers  in  this 
country  have  to  trust  to  Dutch  vessels  to  bring  the  rattan  via 
Antwerp,  Bremen,  and  Rotterdam,  but  in  the  increasing  demand 
for  it  as  an  article  of  commerce,  no  doubt  facilities  will  be  found 
for  obtaining  it  more  direct, 

The  principal  excellencies  of  cane  as  a  material  for  chairs, 
sofas,  baskets,  etc.,  etc.,  are  its  durability,  elasticity,  and  great 
facility  of  being  turned  and  twisted  into  an  almost  endless 
variety  of  shapes  ;  hence  in  chairs  there  is  every  assistance  given 
by  it  in  obtaining  that  greatest  of  all  luxuries — an  easy  seat  and 
a  springy  back. 

The  articles  grouped  together  in  our  illustration  exhibit  a  sofa, 
arm-chair,  rocking-chair,  and  foot-bench ;  the  sofa,  from  the 
pointed  termination  of  its  curves  approaching  to  the  Gothic 
principle  of  construction,  and  hence  suitable  to  a  building  in  that 
style ;  and  the  other  pieces,  from  their  symmetrical  and  recti- 


200 

linear  and  spherical  lines,  adapted  to  an  Italian  or  any  other 
description  of  finish  but  the  strictly  Gothic. 


Another  style  of  sofa  or  settee  is  shown,  which,  from  its  pecu 
liar  Chinese  character,  is  very  pleasing.    It  is  made  of  the  cane 


SUMMER    FURNITURE. 


201 


in  its  solid  form — in  such  a  shape  generally  styled  "  bamboo" — 
and  is  originally  a  pattern  of  Chinese  manufacture.  For  a  hall 
or  an  old-fashioned  and  quaint-looking  sitting-room  it  is  very 
suitable.  In  congruity  with  this  is  a  pattern  of  great  elegance 
and  character ;  this  has  a  pleasing  blending  of  the  curved  and 
angular  lines,  and  appears  to  me  to  show  a  very  successful  treat 
ment  of  the  material. 

Somewhat  similar  in  design  to  this  is  a  crib  or  standard  bed 
stead  for  children.     The  lightness,  sweetness,  and  coolness  of  the 


CEIB,  OB  STAKDARD  BBD-STEAD. 

article,  particularly  adapted  as  it  is  to  ventilation,  must  greatly 
recommend  it.  A  very  graceful  use  of  the  material  is  seen  in 
the  firm  and  delicate  braid-work  that  is  wrought  upon  some  of 
the  chairs  and  other  articles. 


202 


RURAL    HOMES. 


CHAIB. 


SUMMER    FURNITURE.  203 

The  chair  shown  (p.  201)  is  an  example,  the  braidwork  running 
over  the  top  and  forming  arms.  It  is  veiy  elegant  and  light. 

The  old-fashioned,  heavy  fire-screens,  and  the  lighter  but 
clumsy-looking  basket-work  used  as  a  substitute,  are  now  entirely 
superseded  by  the  articles  made  for  the  purpose  in  this  material. 

In  the  accompanying  illustration  a  very  pretty  effect  may  be 
given  by  the  lining,  which,  either  made  of  one  color,  or  of  colors 
in  stripes  (their  widths  adjusted  to  the  pattern  work  of  the 
screen),  embellished  with  embroidery  worked  upon  the  ground  of 
the  lining  so  as  to  come  in  the  centre  of  each  opening  of  the 
frame,  will  afford  an  opportunity  for  the  fingers  and  skill  of  the 
lady  decorators  of  the  house. 

A  great  variety  of  other  articles  are  made,  some  of  great 


strength,  and  for  purposes  requiring  considerable  wear  and  tear. 
Of  these,  one  of  the  most  desirable  is  a  swing-seat,  for  trees, 


204 


RURAL    HOMES. 


verandas,  or  summer-houses,  an  illustration  of  which  is  given. 
This,  from  its  firmness,  elasticity,  and  absence  of  sharp  corners, 
is  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  purpose.  There  is  a  place  for  the 
feet,  and  the  back  is  at  such  a  slope  as  to  assist  in  preserving  the 
balance  of  the  little  pendulums  that  use  it. 

Of  light,  fanciful,  and  ornamental  things  within  the  house,  thfe 


PAPES-BASKET. 

infinite  variety  the  material  will  permit  precludes  a  description ; 
for  the  library,  a  paper  basket,  such  as  the  illustration  shows; 


WOEK-STANP. 


SUMMER    FUBN'ITU?/-:.  205 

for  the  boudoir,  or  ladies'  room,  a  work-stand  (p.  203)  of  which 
an  example  that  may  prettily  be  lined  with  rose,  blue,  or  orange 
silk,  is  here  given. 

For  the  drawing-room,  the  ombra,  or  bay-window,  a  flower- 
stand,  within  which  is  a  metal  lining  for  holding  water  or  wet 
sand. 


FLOWEK-STAND. 

These  are  all  substantial  in  construction,  and  by  no  means  the 
fragile,  easily  broken  articles  they  may  look,  the  material  though 
slender  and  light,  being  tough  and  very  strong. 

With  an  open  paper-basket  (p.  205)  of  simple  pattern,  and  of 
very  convenient  form,  I  will  conclude  the  number  of  illustrations 
of  cane-work,  I  have  selected. 

I  have  ventured  to  occupy  the  space  I  have  done  with  them 
from  a  thought  that  a  cheap,  durable,  and  satisfactory  article  for 
summer  use  could  not  but  prove  valuable  to  the  dwellers  in  a 
rural  home.  The  useful,  the  simple,  and  the  elegant  in  form 
are  the  most  beautiful  attributes  of  eveiy  accessory  of  inner 
finishing ;  anything  that  like  cane-work  ministers  to  these, 


230 


RURAL    HOMES. 


deserves  more  than  a  passing  glance,  and  the  introduction  of  its 
description  will  not  appear  trivial  to  those  who  reflect  upon  what 


PAPER-BASKET. 

small  and  inexpensive  articles  the  impress  of  character  and  good 
taste  in  a  furnished  room,  frequently  depends.     I  would  rather 

<=>  A 


FOLDING-SIAT. 


IRON    WARE.  207 

indeed,  show  how  a  chair  costing  but  a  dollar  or  two  may  be 
shaped  into  an  elegant  and  graceful  form,  than  elaborate  a  design 
for  a  costly  Louis  Quatorze  seance,  or  an  inlaid  t&te-d-tete. 

On  a  veranda,  such  cane  lounges,  settees,  and  chairs  being 
light  and  easily  removed  would  be  appropriate ;  but  of  all  articles 
made  for  such  an  use  none  are  more  desirable  than  the  webbing 
or  carpet  folding-seats  (p.  205.) 

These  are  made  with  the  seats  either  of  canvas,  webbing,  or 
Brussels  carpet ;  they  are  light,  easily  carried  about,  and  pleasant 
to  sit  in. 

The  natural  color  of  cane- work  is  a  light  yellow  ;  it  is  stained 
sometimes  black,  and  sometimes  left  parti-colored,  producing  a 
pretty  effect. 


Iron  is  made  into  a  great  variety  of  light  and  useful  articles 
suitable  to  in  and  out-door  life.  The  Berlin  workers  of  Europe 
(the  name  of  the  place  has  given  a  title  to  the  ware  it  once 
solely  excelled  in),  have  employed  an  artistic  taste  upon  the  pro 
duction  of  various  objects  of  utility  and  ornament,  which  has 
furnished  specimens  of  manufacture  almost  fairy-like  in  fineness 
and  texture,  and  exquisite  in  design.  Many  of  the  most 
strikingly  beautiful  patterns  have  been  reproduced  with  entire 
success  here.  Some  specimens  lately  shown  to  me,  made  by 
Janes,  Beebe  &  Co.,  I  have  had  the  opportunity  to  compare 
with  the  trans- Atlantic  originals,  and  as  a  matter  of  interest  in 
art,  pride  must  be  felt  by  all  who  have  been  able  to  examine  the 
works  so  far  perfected,  which  justly  challenge  comparison  with 
the  foreign  specimens. 

Of  the  larger  articles  made  are  some  vases  supported  by 


208  RURAL    HOMES. 

stag's  head  and  antlers,  of  great  beauty  and  freedom  of  design, 
suitable  for  a  hall,  or  for  a  recess  in  a  large  library. 

Flower-stands,  hat-stands,  bed-steads,  etc.,  etc.,  are  easily  made 
in  this  facile  material,  and  frequently  can  be  found  in  stores 
devoted  to  their  sale,  of  great  beauty. 

A  great  mistake  is  made  sometimes  in  painting  this  metal; 
graining  it  oak  is  an  absurdity,  for  wood  never  could  be  used  in 
the  manner  that  it  aims  at  showing ;  imitation  marble  or  other 
stone  is  as  bad ;  bronzing  or  gilding  are  allowable,  because  not 
suggestive  of  a  different  material,  only  a  different  or  higher 
quality.  But  of  all  colors  chosen,  none  are  so  suitable  for  large 
articles,  as  vases,  tazzas,  etc.,  as  the  dead,  unshining  black  that 
the  ware  has  when  it  comes  over  here.  This  is  given  to  it  by 
oil  (united,  I  believe,  with  some  pigment)  put  on  thinly  and 
rubbed  in  so  as  to  dry  without  any  gloss,  leaving  only  a  smooth 
evenness  of  surface,  admirably  adapted  to  the  gravity  of  the 
material,  and  giving  a  greater  appearance  of  finish  and  richness 
than  the  most  elaborated  painting.  Fountains,  out-door  vases,  and 
seats,  are  frequently  seen  painted  dead  white ;  the  coldness  and 
baldness  of  this  coloring  on  iron  is  to  my  eye  very  objectionable ; 
the  black  would  be  more  suitable,  and  have  the  additional  advan 
tage  of  not  soiling,  whilst  in  a  fountain,  nothing  could  surely  be 
prettier  than  the  contrast  of  diamond  and  jet — the  sparkling 
water  and  smooth  black  iron  would  afford. 

White,  on  iron,  always  seems  a  mask  ;  there  is  a  translucency 
about  marble  which  the  white  is  supposed  to  imitate,  that  paint 
can  never  reach,  and  beneath  the  white-lead  colored  iron,  the 
solemn,  black  influence  seems  felt,  and  will  cloud  the  mocking, 
garish  hue  that  is  every  way  so 'dissimilar. 

The  heavy,  chocolate  brown  color  (that  looks  like  rust,  only  it 


PAINTED    FURNITURE.  209 

has  not  its  variety  of  tint)  that  iron  is  sometimes  painted  is 
nearly  as  bad ;  the  paint  always  dries  rough  and  coarse-looking, 
and  there  is  a  clumsy,  unfinished  appearance  about  iron  work  so 
painted,  always  suggesting  the  idea  that  it  is  only  primed  over, 
and  that  one  of  these  days  the  painter  will  come  with  his 
pumice-stone  and  paint  brush,  and  finish  the  job.  Black  or 
bronze  are  the  coverings  for  iron — the  grave,  honest,  strengthy 
old  substance  will  only  be  contented  with  sober,  unchanging 
negation  of  gaiety  in  hue. 

Sometimes  one  sees  iron  sanded  in  imitation  of  stone  ; — many 
area  railings  in  New  York  are  so  finished, — he  would  be  a 
cunning  mason  who  could  cut  such  splinters  of  Connecticut 
brown-stone ! 

Painted  Furniture,  or  enamelled  ware,  as  its  best  manufacture 
is  now  specifically  called,  might  be  more  cheaply  furnished  than 
it  is.  The  gaudy,  show-loving  spirit  of  the  age  has  caused 
cabinet-makers  to  gild  and  bedizen  plain  pine  in  such  a  manner, 
that  the  painting  costs  a  great  deal  more  than  the  article  itself. 
In  fact,  many  articles  of  painted  ware — a  handsome  wardrobe  for 
instance — are  in  certain  collections  as  costly  as  one  of  rosewood 
or  mahogany.  The  lower  priced  articles  that  are  sold  are  little 
better  than,  trash,  and  at  present  there  is  no  medium  between  a 
gaudily  bedecked  set,  costing  more  than  thrice  what  it  should, 
and  a  cheap  imitative  furniture  just  as  gaudy,  and  of  course,  not 
being  so  carefully  finished,  looking  more  tawdry. 

The  fault  rests  with  the  buyers,  not  the  makers  ;  if  on  going 
to  select  a  set  of  enamelled  ware,  the  lady  purchaser  were  uni 
formly  to  say  "  this  is  all  too  elaborately  and  showily  finished  ; 
I  want  a  set  just  as  well  made  as  this  one,  but  painted  only  one 


210  RURAL    HOMES. 

color,  with  a  simple  line  of  a  lighter  or  darker  tint  as  the  case 
may  be,  but  no  gilding  or  ornamental  painting — for  what  will 
you  make  me  a  set  ?" 

This  constantly  done,  furniture  manufacturers  would  find  it  to 
their  interest  to  supply  the  improved  demand,  and  the  price  of 
the  ware  would  quickly  settle  down  into  a  regular  and  far  lower 
rate,  by  which  this  cleanly  and  characteristic  work  could  be 
placed  within  the  reach  of  all  furnishing  their  country  houses. 

Furniture  such  as  I  recommend  can  be  seen  and  procured  in 
New  York ;  many  recently  furnished  hotels  show  it  in  their 
sleeping-rooms.  McGraw,  in  Broadway,  has  made  some  of  the 
character  suggested,  and  though  to  supply  the  taste  of  his 
customers  the  showier  sorts  are  more  abundant,  purchasers  will 
find  no  difficulty  in  procuring  exactly  the  style  described,  made 
in  the  best  possible  manner,  and  at  reasonable  rates. 

A  bed-room  with  the  larger  pieces  of  furuiture  made  as 
fixtures  may  be  easily  ornamented  in  this  manner,  the  doors  and 
fronts  only  requiring  to  be  enamelled.  The  wardrobe  in'a  recess  ; 
the  bureau  treated  in  the  same  manner ;  the  wash-stand,  simply 
a  marble  slab  in  an  alcove,  with  folding-doors  below,  and  the 
sides  and  back  of  the  recess  panelled  above  in  the  same  style, 
would  require  merely  the  bed-stead  and  chairs  to  be  moveable. 
With  the  walls  papered  in  encaustic,  and  the  enamelled  ware  of 
a  tint  in  harmony  therewith,  the  room  would  admit  of  great 
embellishment  and  possess  a  character  and  interest  that  could 
not  fail  to  please. 


Porcelain,  as  a  finish  to  ornamental  articles  of  hardware  used 
in  buildings,  is  now  in  very  general  use.     As  a  cleanly,  cheerful, 


PORCELAIN. 


and  durable  material,  it  is  highly  recommended,  and  for  all  such 
articles  as  project,  door-knobs,  bell-pulls,  etc.,  is  very  suitable. 
It  requires  no  cleaning  like  metal,  and  does  not  soil  the  hand. 

For  country  houses,  where  glare  and  glitter  are  out  of  place, 
and  cleanly,  labor-saving  finishings  are  most  required,  the  various 
articles  made  in  this  material  are  particularly  suitable. 

Here  are  specimens  of  a  set  of  hardware  finishings  for  a  room, 
in  which  this  material  is  used. 


BBLL-PITLL. 

This  cut  represents  a  bell-pull  or  lever;  the  knob  on  the 
handle  and  the  boss  in  the  centre  are  of  porcelain,  the  mounting 
and  other  metal  work  being  of  silver,  plate,  or  bronze,  and  the 
porcelain  work  may  either  be  pure  white  or  embellished  with 
colored  decoration.  If  upon  a  papered  wall  of  two  colors  as 
before  described,  the  painting  of  the  porcelain  may  correspond, 
the  body  of  it  being  the  tint  of  the  wall  and  a  fine  line  of  the 
hue  that  is  used  thereon  traced  on  the  knob  and  boss. 


212 


RURAL    HOMES. 


The  curtain-band  here  represented  is  of  similar  materials,  and 
its  design  is  in  the  same  character  as  the  last.     The  head  is  of 


CURTAHC-BAND. 

porcelain,  painted   to   order,  and  the  metal  work  silvered  or 
bronzed. 

A  useful  addition  to  a  bell  is  found  in  a  speaking-tube  com 
municating  with  the  servants'  apartment ;  the  mouth-piece  of 
this,  which  may  be  just  above  or  below  the  bell-lever,  is  suscep 
tible  of  ornamental  treatment  in  this  material.  One  advantage 
it  has  over  metal  is  in  its  pleasant  feeling  to  the  lips  and  its 
greater  purity. 


SPEAKING-TUBS  . 


PORCELAIN.  213 

The  design  here  given  is  of  one  to  match  the  other  finishings, 
and  may  be  of  pure  white  with  floral  decoration,  or  of  the  same 
tints  as  the  walls. 

For  the  manufacture  of  door-knobs,  porcelain  is,  of  all  the 
various  materials  that  have  been  tried,  the  most  suited.  Clean — 
strong — easily  attached  to  the  handle,  and  susceptible  of  great 
embellishment,  it  is  much  in  favor,  and,  as  by  an  improved 
method  of  fastening  the  knob  on  to  the  shoulder  all  danger  of 
its  becoming  loose  is  entirely  obviated,  the  only  objection  to 
such  knobs  is  removed. 

The  patterns  that  are  made  are  innumerable.  The  one  here 
shown  is  of  a  design  best  suited  to  the  set  of  other  articles.  It 
is  called  by  the  trade  the  "  Elizabethan  pattern,"  I  presume, 
from  a  resemblance  in  its  decoration  to  the  detail  of  that 
period. 


ELIZABETHAN  KNOB. 

The  centre  of  the  Knob  is  white,  with  the  outer  edge  buff, 


214 


RURAL    HOM 


and  the  figure  of  maroon.  The  buff  is  powdered  with  gold,  and 
the  combination  of  coloring  is  rich  and  well  suited  to  a  dark  or 
black  walnut  door. 

The  other  door  furniture,  consisting  of  escutcheons  and  drops, 
is  also  made  in  porcelain.  The  patterns  that  would  best  match 
with  the  others  are,  too,  here  given.  One  of  them  is  called  the 
"  tulip  pattern,"  and  the  other  the  "  English  pattern." 


ESCUTCHEON. 


A  very  ingenious  use  is  made  of  the  article  in  clothes,  hat, 
and  coat-hooks.  For  entries  and  halls,  and  for  the  walls  of 
bed-rooms  they  are  very  well  adapted.  Especially  suitable 


HAT  AND  COAT  HOOK. 


PORCELATX.  21,5 

would  they  be  to  a  bathing-room,  where  the  steam  and  wet 
would  have  no  effect  upon  them. 

A  hat  and  coat-hook,  with  a  shield  through  which  to  screw  it 
upon  the  wall,  is  here  shown,  and  will  give  an  idea  of  the 
innumerable  useful  purposes  in  the  way  of  pegs  and  hooks, 
to  which  this  material  is  capable  of  being  applied. 

These  articles  can  be  procured,  together  with  a  vast  number 
of  others  in  the  same  material,  of  Baldwin  &  Many,  New  York. 


THIS  much  by  way  of  directing  how  the  interior  of  a  house 
may  be  embellished  and  furnished  at  small  cost,  and  in  good 
taste.  With  a  delightful  extract  from  the  graphic  pen  of  Mrs. 
Kirkland,  I  will  bring  the  present  chapter  to  a  close.  The  fair 
writer,  in  an  article  in  Sartain's  Magazine  about  the  World's 
Fair,  makes  the  following  remarks,  so  practically  useful  in 
themselves,  and  so  graceful  a  testimony  from  an  American 
traveller  to  the  home-charm  of  English  country  houses,  that  I 
present  them  to  my  readers. 

"  We  have  not  yet  learned,  in  this  extravagant  country  of 
ours,  how  much  may  be  got  out  of  modest  means,  or  how 
various  are  the  modes  by  which  the  requisitions  of  circumstance 
may  be  met.  All  our  notions  of  must-haves  and  may-haves  are 
stereotyped ;  as  we  furnish  our  houses,  so  we  regulate  our  way 
of  living  and  managing,  one  by  another,  dreading  originality 
like  pestilence.  It  is  to  be  hoped  some  old-world  secrets  of  lift 
may  be  picked  up  by  those  who  go  abroad  this  summer,  a 
fair  return  for  the  many  new  notions  which  the  English  will 
undoubtedly  acquire  from  their  visitors. 

"  By  the   way,  every  American   who   has   the  opportunity 


216  RURAL    HOMtfS. 

should  be  sure  to  visit  an  English  country  residence.  They  are 
the  perfection  of  beauty,  comfort,  and  refinement ;  often  on 
a  small  scale,  which  requires  that  every  inch  should  be  made  the 
most  of,  which  is  done  so  cunningly,  that  one  forgets  to  wish 
them  larger.  One  thing  they  never  lack,  viz.  :  a  library, 
deemed  a  superfluity  in  so  many  of  our  best  houses  ;  and  this 
library  is  the  magnetic  gathering-place  of  a  thousand  tasteful 
trifles, — relics,  specimens,  objects  of  art,  curiosities,  suggestive 
nothings — which  serve  to  make  talk  independent  of  politics, 
dress,  fashions,  and  scandal.  Then  the  grounds  are  laid  out 
with  so  much  judgment,  and  kept  in  such  perfect  order,  that 
they  add,  in  effect,  several  drawing-rooms  to  the  villa,  since  they 
are  delightful  for  conversation  or  strolling.  These  residences 
form  a  happy  medium  between  too  much  rusticity  for  city 
habits,  and  a  cold,  showy  splendor,  which  insults  nature  by 
hiding  her  as  much  as  possible  under  a  town  disguise.  They 
look  domestic,  and  like  the  home  of  many  accomplishments." 


CHAPTEE  XIY. 

ADJUNCTS  TO  A  HOUSE — THE  ENTRANCE  LODGE — OUT 
BUILDINGS. 

THE  country  home  consists  of  more  than  the  dwelling.  The 
out-buildings,  such  as  barn,  granary,  stable,  coach,  and  wagon 
house,  etc.,  are  all  important  features,  and  require  equally  care 
ful  consideration  as  the  house  itself.  A  good  and  convenient 
house  will  be  rendered  still  more  home-like  by  the  proper 
arrangement  and  position  of  the  out-buildings — the  charm  which 
probably  constitutes  the  acknowledged  excellence  of  an  English 
country-house  being  found  in  the  adaptation  of  the  offices  to  the 
house. 

Of  these,  in  an  English  home,  the  gateway  or  entrance-lodge 
is  generally  the  most  prettily  treated  and  effective.  In  this 
country  such  buildings  are,  as  yet,  by  no  means  common,  though,  • 
in  consequence  of  the  increased  and  park-like  extent  of  many  of 
the  bebt  American  homes,  tney  will  be  found  presently  as  their 
convenience  becomes  apparent. 

Most  houses  of  more  than  very  moderate  character  and  extent 
require  a  small  coitage,  wherein  may  reside  a  farm  servant, 

assistant  gardener,  or  hand  of  some  sort,  whose  occasional  duty 
10 


218  RURAL    HOMES. 

it  will  be  to  open  the  entrance  gates  for  a  visitor,  and  to  answer 
such  inquiries  as  may  be  made  and  responded  to,  without  imme 
diate  reference  to  headquarters.  Such  a  cottage,  seen  as  it  must 
be  from  the  travelled  road,  should  indicate  the  character  of  the 
place  within,  and  be  simply  picturesque,  or  quietly  ornate,  as  the 
circumstances  may  seem  to  require. 

The  Entrance  Lodge,  regulated  in  its  design  by  strict 
adherence  LO  the  same  rules  that  have  been  insisted  upon  for  the 
larger  structure,  may  be  more  finished  and  elaborate  in  detail 
than  would  be  admissible  in  a  building  on  a  grander  scale,  that 
is,  its  parts  may  be  more  fancifully  ornate  and  the  construction 
more  minutely  wrought  up  for  effective  appearance.  Many  of 
those  found  so  plentifully  in  England  are  too  petite  and  fantastic 
for  satisfactory  adoption  here,  yet,  in  their  way,  they  are  exquisite 
little  gems  of  rural  art,  and  seem  less  out  of  place  there,  in 
unison  with  the  richly  dressed  lawns  and  shrubberies  and  general 
smoothness  of  landscape,  than  they  would  if  transplanted  as 
features  in  the  broader,  bolder  scenery  of  this  country. 

It  is  not  necessary  that  the  lodge  should  be  of  the  same 
character  as  the  dwelling ;  the  material  to  be  used,  and  very 
probably  the  nature  of  the  precise  locality  in  which  it  is  to  be 
placed,  may  suggest  a  different  mode  of  treatment  than  had  in 
the  former  been  determined  on.  This  rule,  however,  must  be 
insisted  upon  :  that  in  no  case  should  the  lodge  possess  a  greater 
severity  of  style  than  the  larger  edifice.  That  is  to  say — sup 
posing  the  style  chosen  for  the  mansion  be  that  described  as  the 
rustic  Italian,  the  lodge  must  not,  on  any  account,  show  a  more 
classical  treatment  of  the  same  elements  of  design.  The  necessity, 
however,  that  the  smaller  building  should  be  freer  and  less  in 

'  O 

accordance  with  symmetrical   architectural  rule  seems  obvious, 


ADJUNCTS    TO    A    HOUSE.  219 

and  yet  the  recollection  of  the  effect  produced  by  its  violation 
leads  me  to  insist  upon  it  here.  In  the  neighborhood  of  this 
city  is  a  lodge  of  the  model  of  a  severely  finished  miniature 
Doric  temple,  and  the  house  within  a  modern  bracketted  Italian 
building  ;  the  two  are  seen  together,  and  the  effect  is  repugnant 
to  good  taste. 

The  home  side  of  the  lodge  should  be  that  away  from  the 
road ;  the  entrance  will  best  be  at  the  end  nearest  to  the  gates  ; 
the  other  end  would  be  protected  by  an  enclosed  yard  ;  with  the 
walls  or  fences  sufficiently  high  to  allow  culinary  mysteries  and 
domestic  lavations  to  go  on  unexposed  to  public  view.  This 
hint  is  a  necessary  one ;  for  I  have  often  thought  how  unfittingly 
a  shrubbery  looked,  spotted  here  and  there  with  snowy  mantles 
undergoing  process  of  drying. 

The  internal  arrangements  may  conveniently  be  considered  as 
consisting  of  three  rooms  on  the  principal  floor  ;  one  an  evening 
and  holiday  sitting-room ;  a  kitchen,  with  a  scullery,  etc.,  next 
the  yard  ;  and  a  third  room,  either  used  as  a  sleeping  apartment, 
or,  if  the  lodge  be  occupied  by  the  gardener,  as  a  seed-room  or 
dried  plant  cabinet ;  whilst  in  the  roof  above,  three  other  good- 
sized  sleeping-rooms  might  be  finished  off  if  necessary.  The 
inner  side  of  the  building  should  be  sheltered  by  a  rustic  veranda, 
or  by  the  dipping  down  of  the  rafteis  of  the  house  roof;  in 
either  case  supported  by  cedar  or  other  timber  posts,  retaining 
the  bark,  and  instead  of  any  moulded  cornice  above,  using  bark 
and  crooked  limbs  of  trees  for  tracery  and  fascia,  which  may 
easily  be  so  wrought  as  to  cheaply  produce  a  very  pretty 
effect. 

The  roof,  whatever  may  be  its  character,  must  project  so  as  to 
shelter  and  cover  in  £he  walls,  the  wider  the  projection,  in  reason, 


220  RURAL    HOMES. 

the  more  home-like  and  rustic  will  be  the  feeling  and  expression 
of  the  building.  The  general  effect  must  be  carefully  considered, 
so  as  not  to  appear  high — a  lofty,  stuck-up  cottage  rearing  its  pert 
head  beside  the  entrance  gate  being  very  objectionable.  The 
structure  should  be  low,  spread  out  upon  the  ground,  and  if 
large,  the  shape  should  be  irregular. 

A  smaller  lodge  than  this,  consisting  of  two  rooms  on  each 
floor,  or  of  three  on  one  floor  and  one  in  the  roof  above,  will 
often  be  all  that  is  needed.  Even  the  small  cubical  box,  that 
economy  would  suggest  as  the  most  easily  contrived  form  for  a 
two  or  three  roomed  cottage,  may,  by  means  of  a  projecting  roof, 
a  rustic  porch,  and  a  due  regard  to  proportion,  be  made  to  look 
admirably  well.  As  buildings  of  this  description  may  be 
infinitely  varied,  and  their  external  appearance  is  dependent  upon 
so  many  circumstances,  instead  of  dwelling  thereon,  before 
describing  the  design  that  illustrates  this  chapter,  I  will  endea 
vor  to  direct  attention  to  the  points  of  most  importance  within. 


A  great  mistake  is  generally  committed  in  forgetting  that 
these  lodges  are  places  of  residence,  provision  not  always  being 
made  for  the  daily  necessities  of  their  inmates.  There  is  a  show 
parlor  and  a  show  kitchen,  but  the  one  is  too  fine,  and  the  other 
often  too  small  for  use.  Country  people,  too,  such  as  would  be 
placed  in  a  lodge,  are,  in  a  measure,  obstinate,  and  opposed  to 
all  "  new-fangled  notions,"  as  they  term  the,  what  you  consider 
really  excellent  and  convenient  arrangements  made  for  them,  in 
the  culinary  and  other  departments.  So  long  as  they  have 
space  about  their  kitchen  stove,  a  convenient  closet  or  two,  a 


ADJUNCTS    TO    A    HOUSE.  221 

roomy  dresser,  and  a  wood-shed  covered  over  in  the  yard,  they 
would  be  perfectly  contented,  and  feel  much  more  at  home  than 
if  you  provided  them  with  one  of  "  Beebe's"  best  ranges,  or 
planned  their  kitchen  after  one  of  Soyer's  own  designs.  But, 
there  are  many  little  things  you  can  give  them  in  spite  of  them 
selves.  You  can  provide  an  efficient  and  self-acting  mode  of 
constant  ventilation ;  can  place  the  copious  use  of  water  within 
their  hourly  reach,  even  to  the  extent  of  a  simply  contrived 
bathing-tub  and  shower-bath  in  the  chamber  above ;  and  all 
these  things  may  be  done  at  little  expense  and  be  productive  of 
great  comfort.  I  have  often  noticed,  too,  that  the  windows  in 
the  pretty  little  toy-houses  erected  by  the  side  of  the  entrance 
gates,  are  continual  sources  of  trouble.  The  only  safe  way  to 
construct  is  to  make  them  ordinary  windows,  hung  with  weights, 
and  opened  in  the  usual  way ;  any  ornamental  or  characteristic 
tracery  required  being  outside,  and  considered  as  decorated  sup 
port  of  the  head  of  the  opening. 

The  sleeping-rooms  are  frequently  too  low  and  hot  for 
comfortable  habitancy.  The  desire  to  keep  the  building  down, 
and  the  facility  a  high,  pointed  Gothic  roof  affords  for  cheaply 
obtaining  rooms  within  its  frame  produce  this  effect. '  Its  evils 
may  be  avoided  by  always  framing  the  roof  double  (as  has  before 
been  remarked),  or  by  firring  out  so  as  to  leave  a  space  of  dead 
air — not  a  space  open  at  the  ends,  but  a  space  hermetically 
sealed  air-tight — between  the  ceiling  and  the  framing  of  the  roof. 
By  this  means,  the  confined  air — the  best  non-conductor  of  heat 
known,  will  prevent  the  transmission  of  hot  air  from  the  roof, 
and  will  thus  aid  in  keeping  the  chambers  cool.  Windows  in 
the  gables,  their  heads  as  near  the  ceiling  as  can  be  made,  with 
another  window  somewhere  under  the  eaves  at  the  side  of  the 


222 


RURAL    HOMES. 


ADJUNCTS    TO    A    HOUSE.  223 

room  will  secure  a  natural  ventilation  in  the  chamber,  and  this, 
with  an  opening  in  the  chimney  near  the  highest  part  of  the 
room,  will  suffice  to  render  the  apartment  comfortable. 

I  will  proceed  to  describe  a  cottage  suitable  as  an  entrance 
lodge  to  a  home  of  moderate  pretension  and  extent.  I  have 
supposed  it  built  upon  the  boundary  line  of  the  public  road,  a 
situation  in  frequent  demand. 

The  arrangement  is  that  suggested  in  the  first  part  of  this 
chapter,  and  may  be  easily  understood  by  reference  to  the 
ground  plan. 

No.  1  is  the  general  living  room,  its  door  opening  under  a 
veranda  roof,  extending  to  the  entrance  gate ;  this  room  has  a 
pleasant  hanging  window  in  its  angular  side,  affording  a  view  up 
the  road,  and  its  other  window  opens  upon  the  wide  veranda 
that  shelters  the  building's  inner  side.  A  fire-place  and  a  large 
closet,  complete  the  features  of  the  room,  which  is  fourteen  feet 
square,  excepting  the  corner  cut  off  by  the  truncated  side  nearest 
the  gate.  No.  2  is  a  longer  room,  fourteen  by  eighteen,  one  end 
projecting  and  finished  as  a  half  octogan.  This  end  contains  a 
door  on  to  the  veranda  (which  here  runs  round  the  octagon,  and 
forms  a  pleasant  shade,)  and  a  window  in  each  slanting  side.  In 
the  room  is  an  enclosed  staircase  leading  to  the  chamber  floor 
above,  a  fire-place,  and  a  wide  low  window  looking  into  the  road. 
This  room  is  designed  for  the  special  use  of  the  gardener;  a 
pleasant  and  tastefully  arranged  apartment  it  should  be,  with 
drawers  and  places  for  choice  seeds,  contrived  under  the  partition 
of  the  stairs — with^a  few  hanging  shelves  filled  with  books,  upon 
his  rural  pursuits — here  and  there  a  case  of  dried  ferns,  grapes, 
or  other  horticultural  curiosities,  and  all  neatly  kept  and  ordered. 

No.  3  is  the  kitchen,  fourteen  feet  square,  and  connecting  with 


224  RURAL    HOMES. 

a  scullery.  No.  4,  twelve  feet  square.  This  latter  is  a  lean-to 
building  and  enclosed  in  a  yard  which  runs  in  a  line  with  the 
road,  and  comprises  a  sufficient  area  for  drying  clothes,  and  for 
the  wood-shed,  out-house,  and  such  other  offices  as  are  very 
necessary  in  themselves,  but  best  kept  out  of  sight.  In  the 
kitchen,  one  of  the  useful  "  ironing  settles,"  described  in  a  previous 
chapter,  would  be  very  appropriate,  and  occupy  but  little  space. 
Above,  are  three  good  sized  sleeping-rooms,  the  same  dimensions 
as  the  apartments  below.  The  landing  of  the  stairs  would  be 
toward  the  road,  and  a  hall,  four  feet  wide,  running  off  over  the 
end  of  room  No.  2,  would  afford  a  means  of  entrance  to  each  of 
the  end  chambers,  and  to  that  in  the  centre  which  might  either 
be  finished  with  the  half  octagon,  as  in  the  room  below,  or  be 
square,  the  octagon  being  discontinued  and  roofed  over  to  this 
point. 

The  accommodation  contained  in  this  lodge  might,  perhaps, 
be  more  than  that  generally  needed,  but  as  an  example  of  a 
building  on  a  thorough  scale  of  finish,  and  comfortable  means  of 
living,  it  may  be  offered  as  a  study  of  this  pretty  adjunct  to  a 
rural  home. 

The  entrance  gateway  is  recessed  from  the  road  in  the  manner 
shown  in  the  plan.  The  piers,  the  walls,  and  buttresses,  are  of 
stone,  which  as  it  comes  so  closely  before  the  eye  upon  a  public 
road,  must  be  more  symmetrically  laid  than  would  be  necessary 
were  the  building  more  removed.  The  angle  stones  or  quoins, 
the  masonry  round  the  windows,  the  caps  and  bases  of  the  piers, 
the  weathering  and  plinth  of  the  buttresses,  should  all  be  of  cut 
stone,  not  too  finely  dressed,  but  yet  smoothly  and  sharply 
finished.  The  main  body  of  the  walls,  themselves,  may  be  of 
rough  rubble  work ;  this,  indeed,  will  give  greater  value  to  the 


ADJUNCTS    TO    A    HOUSE.  225 

parts  that  are  cut,  and  will  impart  a  rustic  and  quaint  appearance 
to  the  whole,  thoroughly  in  keeping  with  the  character  of  the 
design.  The  projecting  window  in  the  angular  end,  is  to  be 
framed  of  wood,  heavily  and  simply,  and  then  painted  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  framing  of  the  gables  and  roof.  It  is  true 
that  the  wood-work  should  all  be  of  oak,  or  at  least  yellow  pine, 
and  oiled  and  varnished,  but  as  the  material  may  prove  in  many 
cases  too  costly,  I  will  suppose  pine  painted,  to  be  decided  upon. 
The  roof  gable  over  the  centre  of  the  road  point,  is  supported  by 
a  framing,  projecting  from  the  face  of  the  walls.  This  should  be 
heavy  and  look  real.  The  fiiiial  at  the  top  and  the  drops  at  the 
springing  of  the  gable,  may  be  moulded  and  carved  in  the  manner 
shown ;  the  former  may,  however,  be  changed  for  a  turned  ball, 
resting  on  a  moulded  cap,  if  the  carving  cannot  be  conveniently 
procured. 

The  window  frames  should  also  be  heavy,  and  on  their  outer 
faces  show  a  chamfered  or  splayed  edge. 

The  chimney  caps  may  be  of  cut  stone,  or,  if  the  builder 
likes  to  risk  the  winter's  frost,  of  "  Garnkirk  clay."  This  latter 
material  is  made  into  chimney  caps,  vases,  &c.,  and  an  innumer 
able  variety  of  architectural  forms,  and  is  imported  from  Scot 
land,  and  kept  for  sale  in  this  country  ;  opinion  is  so  varied,  how 
ever,  and  testimony  so  conflicting,  as  to  its  adaptation,  to  the 
severities  of  winter  here,  that  I  can  scarcely  venture  unqualifiedly 
to  recommend  its  use.  I  know,  however,  of  instances  where  it 
has  been  used  for  four  or  five  years  in  different  parts  of  Con 
necticut,  and  shows  no  ill  effects  from  frost.  Farther  than  this  I 
have  had  no  opportunity  of  judging  if  there  be  any  well  founded 
objection  to  the  material. 

The  gates  should  certainly  (if  possible)  be  of  oak  left  unpainted, 


226  RURAL    HOMES. 

and  studded  together  with  cut  nail  heads ;  they  ought  not  to  be 
too  heavy,  a  light  gate  is  more  durable  and  less  liable  to  injury 
than  one  very  ponderous,  and  of  course  is  less  costly.  The  frame 
may  be  three  inches  by  eight,  and  the  planking  not  over  seven- 
eighths  of  an  inch  thick.  The  hinges  made  of  iron,  flat  and  broad, 
should  show ;  and  cutting  them  into  gracefully  curving  forms,  will 
greatly  assist  in  imparting  character  and  beauty  to  the  gates. 

The  inside  finish  of  such  a  building  should  be  characteristic, 
and  the  directions  previously  given  in  the  chapter  about  cottages 
will  equally  apply. 

The  cost  would  vary  considerably  in  different  neighborhoods, 
according  to  the  quality  and  expense  of  working  the  stone. 
Where  the  material  has  to  be  brought  from  some  distance,  and 
is  hard  and  difficult  to  work,  the  entire  cost  of  the  lodge,  its  gates 
and  enclosing  fence  walls,  would  not  fall  short  of  three  thousand 
dollars,  and  might  be  three  thousand  five  hundred.  On  the  North 
river,  with  stone  on  or  near  the  site,  of  an  average  quality,  and 
not  unusually  hard  to  work,  the  cost  would  be  from  twenty-five 
to  twenty-eight  hundred  dollars.  In  Pennsylvania  the  sum  re 
quired  would  not  exceed  twenty-five  hundred  dollars,  and  a 
builder  from  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  has  recently  examined  the 
plans  and  expressed  his  willingness  to  contract  for  twenty-three 
hundred  and  fifty.  In  wood,  if  that  material  were  selected,  (in 
which  case  the  character  of  the  piers,  fence  wall,  and  buttresses, 
should  be  changed,)  the  estimates  would  of  course  be  much  less ; 
fifteen  to  eighteen  hundred  dollars  would  finish  it  in  the  most 
thorough  manner,  and  many  an  economical  builder  would  erect 
it  for  considerably  less. 

On  a  prettily  wooded  estate,  the  road  undulating,  and  green 
sward  edging  its  sides,  the  lodge  as  depicted  would  look  well ;  it 


ADJUNCTS    TO    A    HOUSE.  227 

should  be  backed  up  with  forest  trees,  and  the  open  gates  afford 
a  peep  upon  a  gay  and  neatly  kept  little  flower-garden  before 
the  rustic  veranda  of  the  inner  front. 

These  remarks  will  suffice  for  the  guidance  of  my  readers 
in  setting  about  the  construction  of  an  entrance  lodge.  I  will 
now  proceed  to  discuss  the  other  adjuncts  to  a  i^iral  home. 

There  is  scarcely  a  countiy  residence  that  has  not  out-buildings 
so  large  that  they  might,  if  properly  comprehended  at  first  in 
the  general  design,  be  made  to  contribute  very  greatly  to  the 
beauty  and  picturesque  appearance  of  the  home,  and  where 
from  any  reason  it  might  seem  desirable  to  keep  the  offices  at  a 
great  distance  from  the  dwelling,  there  can  scarcely  be  a  situation 
in  which,  from  some  points  of  view  at  least,  they  are  not  seen 
together,  and  should  therefore  be  made  parts  of  the  same  whole. 

A  house  on  a  small  and  economical  scale,  with  outbuildings 
merely  of  such  capacity  as  are  absolutely  needed,  and  of  simple 
character  and  materials,  may,  by  careful  grouping  together, 
make  a  really  imposing  and  home-like  appearance. 

A  farm-house  indeed  requires  the  outbuildings  conveniently 
near,  so  that  every  operation  may  be  carried  on  under  the 
immediate  eye  of  the  farmer.  Hence,  we  see  the  E-shaped 
plans  that  are  so  common  in  the  old  country,  and  not  unfre- 
quent  in  this ;  the  house  stretching  widely  out  as  the  upright 
portion  of  the  letter,  the  porch  the  central  projection,  and  the 
stables,  cow-houses,  granaries,  etc.,  forming  the  wings  as  the 
arms,  and  from  each  of  these  a  substantial  fence  and  gates 
stretched  across,  build  up  the  quadrangle,  so  favorite  a  ground 
plan  with  the  architects  of  the  olden  time. 

There    ran    scarcely  be    any  situation    in    which    Qii    artistic 
10* 


228  RURAL    HOMES. 

grouping  of  the  house  and  its  offices  is  not  perfectly  attainable 
They  need  not  of  necessity  be  close  together.  On  the 
contrary,  the  otitbuildings  may  be  removed  as  far  as  may  seem 
desirable,  and  yet  connection  with  the  main  building  be  given 
them  by  their  treatment  and  character.  This  may  be  done  by 
reproducing  some  of  the  marked  features  that  the  house 
possesses — by  similarity  of  detail — or  by  general  resemblance  of 
outline  ;  but  if  the  house  has  any  very  distinctive  and  strongly- 
marked  feature — as,  for  instance,  a  lofty  tower,  or  look-out,  with 
the  rest  of  the  building  flat-roofed  and  comparatively  low — the 
outbuildings  must  be  carefully  kept  subordinate.  The  same 
flatness  and  projection  of  roof,  and,  though  less  ornate,  the  same 
character  of  detail,  will  sufficiently  mark  the  connection ;  and 
their  position  on  the  ground  should  be  such  that  they  are,  from 
no  point  of  sight,  so  seen  as  to  appear  of  greater  elevation  than 
the  main  dwelling.  They  should  be  made  lower,  being,  in  fact, 
the  first  step  from  the  ground,  the  house  being  the  second,  and 
the  tower  the  third,  or  highest.  Frequently,  a  tower  or  turret, 
containing  a  clock  and  surmounted  with  a  vane,  is  a  very 
desirable  addition  to  a  range  of  stabling  and  farm-buildings. 
The  clock  itself  is  a  useful  feature,  and  I  would  like  to  call 
attention  to  the  light  and  inexpensive  time-keepers  made  by 
Sperry  &  Byram,  of  Sag  Harbor.  It  is  strange  that  in  this 
proverbially  clock-making  country,  there  are  so  few  good  out 
door  clocks ;  but  lately,  Mr.  Byram  has  succeeded  in  producing 
some  admirably  adapted  for  a  gentleman's  out-buildings. 

The  particular  form  to  be  given  to  the  out-buildings  must 
depend  upon  circumstances  almost  too  varied  to  discuss.  Many 
persons  just  now  are  strongly  in  favor  of  a  circular,  hexagonal,, 
or  octagonal  plan  for  the  stables ;  and  certainly  a  very  econom- 


ADJUNCTS   TO    A   HOUSE.  229 

ical  distribution  of  room  may  be  made,  and  the  purposes  of 
feeding  are  admirably  met ;  and,  also,  there  is,  to  me,  another 
advantage  in  such  a  form — that  of  easy  ventilation.  The 
central  portion,  from  which  the  divisions  forming  the  stalls 
radiate,  may  contain  a  large  air-flue,  carried  above  the  roof,  and 
terminating  with  such  a  ventilatfng-cap,  or  other  apparatus,  as 
may  be  approved ;  and  immediately  above  the  floor,  and,  again, 
just  under  the  ceiling,  should  be  apertures,  (the  upper  one 
supplied  with  a  valve,  to  prevent  downward  draft,)  for  the 
passage  upwards  of  foul  and  heated  air. 

If  the  farming  or  cattle-feeding  operations  of  the  establish 
ment  be  upon  so  large  a  scale  as  to  require  a  boiling-house,  the 
flue  from  that  may  be  carried  underground,  and  discharge 
upwards  through  this  air-drain,  so  as  to  increase  the  upward 
current,  and  consequently  afford  a  means  of  forced  ventilation. 
The  loft  for  feed  would  be  in  the  roof  above,  and  the  advan 
tages,  such  a  mode  of  ventilation  would  give  in  drying  and 
sweetening  wet-made  hay,  must  be  apparent.  The  chaise, 
harness,  wagon  and  tool  house,  in  a  building  of  lower  elevation, 
would  form  a  wing  on  one  side,  and  the  cow-s0ble,  root-house, 
etc.,  a  corresponding  wing  on  the  other.  A  very  convenient 
and  economical  cow-stable  may  be  made  by  forming  the 
divisions  between  the  stalls  of  double  folding  swing-gates.  The 
cows  are  brought  in,  one  by  one,  at  one  end,  the  first  admitted 
being  led  up  to  the  farthest  stall,  and  the  gate  closed  ;  so  on, 
each  stall  is  filled,  and  no  room  is  lost.  The  stalls  are  ten 
feet  long,  and  five  feet  wide — the  gates  folding  in  the  middle, 
exactly  against  the  stall  end,  when  open.  An  alley-way,  three 
feet  and  a  half  wide,  is  left  in  front  of  the  animals'  heads,  for 
the  purpose  of  feeding,  and  the  whole  space  occupied  is  but 


230  RURAL    HOMES. 

fourteen  feet  in  width.  Some  farmers  prefer  a  less  width  than 
five  feet  for  the  stalls  ;  in  which  case,  all  that  will  be  necessaiy 
to  be  done  is  to  make  the  gates  fold  into  three  instead  of 
two  folds,  and  to  strengthen  them  by  a  bar  dropped  through 
staples  on  each  gate — which  bar  would  stand  upright  when  not 
in  use. 

The  most  effectual  method  of  ventilating  such  a  building 
would  be  as  follows  : — It  would  probably  be  covered  with  a 
lean-to  sloping  roof ; — ceil  across  about  four  feet  straight, 
leaving  a  triangular  space  inclosed.  In  the  under  side  insert 
gratings  of  open  wood  or  iron  work,  three  feet  long  by  two  feet 
wide,  one  over  each  stall.  At  each  end  of  the  building  cut 
openings  corresponding  to  the  triangular  space  under  roof, 
and  protect  from  the  weather  by  a  sloping  board  or  iron 
pent  roof  over ;  or,  if  the  two  ends  of  the  building  abut  upon 
other  buildings,  so  as  to  prevent  such  openings,  or  there  be 
a  loft  above,  then  frame  an  air-shaft,  leading  upwards  from  each* 
end  of  the  drain,  enclosed  as  directed,  and  carry  one  about  two 
feet  above  the  roof,  terminating  it  with  one  of  Janes's  Injectors, 
(which,  in  such*a  situation,  would  answer  admirably  well,)  and 
extend  the  other  at  least  six  feet  higher,  and  cover  it  with  any 
cap  that  will  prevent  down-draught. 

This,  with  a  good-sized  drain  under  the  cow-stable,  and  a  large 
grating  leading  thereto  from  each  stall,  will  thoroughly  venti 
late  the  interior  of  the  building ;  and  were  cattle-feeders  aware 
how  all  important  to  the  well-being  of  their  stock  fresh  and  pure 
air  is,  they  would  take  means  always  to  secure  as  abundant  a 
supply  as  they  do  of  food.  In  fact,  an  animal  well  supplied  with 
plenty  of  cool,  pure  air,  will  thrive  on  a  moderate  quantity  of 


ADJUNCTS    TO    A    HOUSE.  231 

food,  where  another,  more  bountifully  fed,  will  pine  for  want  of 
the  breath  of  heaven  to  refresh  him. 

A  great  deal  of  character  may  be  given  to  a  place  by  its  gates 
and  fences.  A  very  light  and  pretty  gate,  suitable  rather  to  the 
cottage  than  the  farm-house,  may  be  made  of  a  frame  of  seasoned 
timber  one  inch  and  a  half  thick,  and  covered  with  split-oak,  or 
cedar,  or  cypress  stems,  nailed  up  and  down,  and  leaving  the  bark 
on.  The  posts  may  be  trunks  of  similar  wood,  with  the  bark 
made  to  adhere  by  copper  tacks  here  and  there  through  it,  and 
protected  by  a  .varnish.  The  upper  portion  of  the  gate  may  be 
curved  downwards,  or  made  of  any  other  outline  that  taste  may 
suggest.  A  sturdy  timber-framed  gate,  with  the  edges  cham 
fered,  and  with  heavy,  rough  posts  spurred  to  the  ground,  is  suit 
able  to  a  farm,  and,  if  properly  made,  will  last  as  long  as  the 
Louse.  A  thoroughly  good  soaking  of  linseed  oil  will  be  found 
to  protect  its  timbers  better  than  paint,  which  it  is  impossible  to 
prevent  blistering  and  scaling  off  with  the  heat  of  the  sun. 

A  useful  gate  for  farm  purposes  may  be  made  by  framing  two 
halves  so  that  they  may  meet  in  the  middle,  and  instead  of  hang 
ing  them  to  a  post  on  hinges,  putting  up  two  light  standards  on 
either  side  and  passing  a  pin  through  them  and  the  lower  end 
of  each  half.  To  open,  all  that  will  be  necessary  is  to  lift"  them 
Tip  and  let  each  half  fall  back  between  the  standards.  These 
standards  should  be  placed  within  the  wall,  rail,  or  stone  fence, 
and  the  gate  made  very  light  (the  lighter  the  better),  and  when 
opened,  protected  from  injury  by  being  against  the  wall  These 
are  an  excellent  substitute  for  lifting  bars,  and  are  cheaply  and 
easily  made.  They  can  be  fastened  by  a  bolt  and  staples  on  each 
half  of  the  gate. 

In  almost  all  country  places,  the  size  of  the  orchard  or  fruit 


232  RURAL   HOMES. 

garden  demands  a  fruit  room,  either  in  a  building  by  itself  or  in 
some  portion  of  the  house  or  offices.  A  very  excellent  room  for 
such  a  purpose  is  described  by  Mr.  Barry,  in  his  useful  work, 
The  Fruit  Garden,  and  in  the  following  words ; — 

"  Fruit  Rooms. — A  fruit  room  is  a  structure  set  apart  exclu 
sively  for  the  preservation  of  fruit.  Its  great  requisites  are,  per 
fect  security  from  moisture  or  dampness,  exclusion  from  light, 
and  an  uniform  temperature.  If  these  points  are  obtained,  no 
matter  where,  how,  or  of  what  material  the  fruit-room  be  con 
structed.  It  may  be  built  of  stone,  brick,  clay,  or  wood,  above 
or  below  ground,  as  circumstances  or  taste  may  dictate. 

"  A  good,  dry,  and  cool  cellar,  is  as  good  a  place  for  keeping 
fruit  in  as  can  be  provided ;  but  the  great  objection  to  cellars 
used  for  other  purposes  is,  that  currents  of  air  are  frequently 
admitted,  and  too  much  light,  by  which  the  temperature  is 
changed,  decay  promoted,  or  the  fruits  dried  and  shrivelled. 
There  are,  also,  other  objects  that  unavoidably  saturate  the  air 
more  or  less  with  moisture. 

"  Where  a  fruit  room  is  built  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  it 
should  be  on  the  ice-house  principle  of  double  walls  and  doors, 
to  prevent  access  of  either  heat  or  cold  from  without.  A  good 
cellar  or  cave,  built  in  a  dry,  sandy,  or  gravelly  bank,  or  side  hill, 
will  answer  every  purpose.  The  walls  may  be  of  stone,  brick,  or 
timber  ;  the  roof  should  be  thick,  with  a  slope  sufficient  to  throw 
off  water  freely,  and  the' earth  about  should  be  so  graded  that 
water  will  flow  away  as  fast  as  it  falls.  Provision  maybe  made 
for  lighting  and  ventilating  in  the  roof,  and  the  door  or  doors 
should  be  double. 

I 

"The   interior  should  be  filled  up  with  shelves  and  binns, 


ADJUNCTS    TO    A    HOUSE.  288 

with  places  for  barrels  or  other  articles,  in  which  fruits  are 
packed."* 

The  complete  drainage  of  a  yard  and  of  the  offices  therein  is 
a  point  of  the  utmost  importance.  One  of  the  chief  excellencies 
of  a  system  of  drainage  consists  in  such  a  plan  being  chosen  as 
will  render  the  drains  as  little  liable  as  possible  to  get  out  of  order, 
and  will  permit  the  reinstatement  of  the  materials  first  used, 
after  they  have  been  disturbed,  by  the  necessity  of  removal,  for 
purposes  of  cleansing. 

The  plan  that  has  the  greatest  reason  to  recommend  it,  is  one 
by  which  the  common  cess-pool  is  omitted,  and  a  tank  for  the 
reception  of  liquefied  manure  substituted.  This  tank,  made  either 
entirely  below  the  ground,  or  placed  in  such  a  situation  as  will 
allow  of  any  accidental  fall  in  levels  to  be  taken  advantage  of, 
and  thus  leave  an  easy  means  of  access  to  the  bottom,  should  be 
so  built  as  to  be  easily  emptied,  flushed  with  water,  and  cleaned. 
It  should  be  built  of  brick  or  stone,  and  laid  in  cement,  made 
of  course  water-tight,  and  covered  over  at  the  top  either  with  a 
brick  arch  or  with  a  stone  slab.  The  refuse  from  the  drains  of 
the  house,  the  contents  of  the  sewers  from  the  barns,  &c.,  may 
all  flow  into  this ;  and  below  it  should  be  a  larger  tank,  filled  to 
a  depth  of  three  feet  or  more  with  small  straw,  dead  leaves,  &c., 
and  the  contents  of  the  soil-tank  be  allowed  to  discharge,  either 
constantly  or  at  will,  thereon.  A  very  valuable  and  cheaply  pro 
cured  compost  or.  manure  will  thus  be  gained — useful  to  the 
farmer  as  well  as  to  the  gardener. 

The  rain-water  tank  or  cistern  should  be  removed  from  this, 

*  See  "  The  Fruit  Garden,"  page  359,  by  P.  Barry,  of  the  Mount 
Hope  Nurseries,  Rochester,  New  York;  published  by  C.  Scribner, 
New  York. 


234  RURAL   HOMES. 

but  its  overflow-pipe  may  communicate,  furnished  with  a  trap,  to 
prevent  rising  of  foul  air  into  the  cistern.  The  waste  from  the 
well  and  sink,  and  all  surplus  water  should  also  be  run  into  tho 
soil-tank,  as  well  as  the  water  necessary  to  flush  the  drains  and 
sewers.  All  main  drains  that  are  of  any  area  exceeding  one  foot 
by  eighteen  inches,  should  be  formed  with  concave  bottoms,  to 
allow  the  water,  however  small  in  quantity,  passing  along  with 
the  solid  matter,  to  act  with  the  greatest  possible  effect ;  they 
should  have  a  fall  of  not  less  than  one  inch  in  every  thirty  feet. 
These  should  have,  if  possible,  a  constant  flow  of  water  through 
them,  or  powerful  flushes  admitted  every  now  and  then. 

Where  drains  lead  from  the  cellar  of  a  house,  or  where  their 
mouths  are  anywhere  near  to  the  building,  it  is  very  necessary  that 
they  should  be  ventilated.  The  gratings  that  are  over  them  at 
intervals  assist  in  doing  this,  and  may  be  made  a  most  effectual 
mode  of  so  acting,  if  attention  is  given  to  the  principle  upon 
which  all  drains  must  be  purified.  Fresh  air  must  enter  them 
from  a  low  level,  and  the  foul  and  heated  air  be  drawn  from  them 
at  as  high  a  level  as  possible.  If  the  drains  in  a  house,  gathered 
together,  as  they  might  easily  be,  into  one  distributing  mouth, 
had  over  them  a  covering  into  which  an  air-duct  from  the  nearest 
secondaiy  chimney  could  lead,  the  foul  and  heated  air  would 
pass  away  up  this  passage  and  be  discharged  by  the  flue  into  the 
air  above  the  roof.  By  this  means  (not  forgetting  to  provide  a 
grating  into  the  drain  at  the  lowest  possible  point,  at  some  dis 
tance  from  the  house)  the  drains  would  be  perfectly  ventilated, 
and  all  impure  and  noxious  gases  prevented  from  escaping  into 
the  dwelling. 


ADJUNCTS    TO    A    HOUSE.  235 

The  floors  of  the  various  offices  and  out-buildings,  when  not  of 
wood,  may  be  formed  in  a  great  variety  of  ways ;  the  most  econo 
mical  are,  lime-ash,  concrete,  stone-pan,  and  brick. 

Lime-ash  floors  may  be  cheaply  made  in  the  following  man 
ner  : — Mix  sand,  after  it  has  been  well  washed  and  freed  from 
earthy  particles,  with  lime-ashes,  in  the  proportion  of  two-thirds 
sand,  to  one-third  lime-ashes.  Let  it  remain  mixed  two  or  three 
days,  screened  from  the  weather  ;  at  the  end  of  that  time  temper 
the  mixture  with  water,  and  lay  it  on  the  surface  to  be  floored,  to 
the  depth  of  three  inches.  In  three  days  at  farthest  it  will  have 
become  sufficiently  set  to  bear  the  foot ;  it  should  then  be  beaten  all 
over  with  a  wooden  mallet,  or  a  plank  with  a  raking  handle  and 
a  heavy  stone  or  two  laid  on  it,  pushed  backward  and  forward  by 
the  hand.  It  will  rapidly  become  hard,  and  when  so,  will  be 
very  durable  and  will  last  a  great  number  of  years  without 
repair.  If  it  hardens  unequally  or  too  fast  in  places  to  finish 
smoothly,  use  a  little  water  and  a  trowel. 

Concrete  floors  are  formed  first  of  all  by  providing  a  hard 
and  well  beaten  foundation  of  broken  stones,-  bricks,  or  hard  pan, 
and  on  this,  putting  a  concrete  composed  of  gravel,  sand,  lime  and 
tar,  covering  with  a  cement  of  one  part  Hadsell's  cement  to  three 
parts  sand,  to  a  depth  of  two  inches,  the  surface  carefully  floated 
and  trowelled.  This  floor  is  economical  and  very  durable,  and 
has  a  great  advantage  to  recommend  it  in  the  fact  that  the  lime- 
dust  never  rises,  and  it  is  always  clean  and  sweet. 

Stone-pan  is  formed  in  a  similar  manner  to  the  lime-ash  floor, 
only  using  finely  broken  stone,  in  equal  quantities  with  the  sand. 
It  is  a  cheap  and  solid  floor,  but  cannot  be  so  smoothly  finished 
as  either  the  lime-ash  or  the  concrete. 


236  RURAL  HOMES. 

Brick  floors  are  too  commonly  seen  to  need  description,  they 
are  best  mode  when  placed  on  edge. 

Asphalte  is  not  used  so  much  now  as  it  was  when  first  in 
troduced.  For  some  purposes  it  might,  however,  very  advantage 
ously  be  employed  ;  for  instance,  for  granaries,  store-rooms,  and 
for  all  floors  not  trodden  on  by  cattle,  or  passed  over  by  wheels. 

Dr.  Ure  directs  an  artificial  asphalte  "  equal  in  every  respect  to 
the  natural,  to  be  made  by  mixing  boiled  coal-tar  with  powdered 
bricks."  This  is  somewhat  different  to  the  asphalte  usually  made 
and  probably  the  nature  of  the  brick-dust  would  cause  a  more 
perfect  incorporation  with  the  tar,  and  the  mixture  be  hard  and 
durable. 

Thatch  in  England  is  frequently  seen  as  a  covering  to 
the  roof  of  out-buildings ;  it  is  there  pleasing  hi  effect,  though 
the  objection  there  is  to  its  use  from  danger  of  fire,  and  the 
harboring  of  insects,  precludes  more  than  its  occasional  adoption 
here.  Shingles  are  commonly  used,  are  light,  cheap,  and  easily 
procured.  They  may  be  used  even  as  a  means  of  decoration,  by 
giving  to  the  end  exposed  some  definite  form  that  may  work  in 
one  shingle  with  the  other,  and  by  the  outlines  form  a  pattern 
upon  the  roof.  For  the  more  ornamented  portions  of  the  out 
buildings  this  may  be  done,  and  only  cost  the  additional  labor 
of  cutting. 

The  Dairy  might  be  often  made  a  very  effective  and  pleasant 
feature  in  a  rural  home.  Built  in  some  sheltered  and  secluded 
spot,  and  with  low  walls,  deeply  projecting  roof,  small  recessed 
windows,  low  door,  and  tile  or  stone  flooring,  it  affords  opportunity 
for  a  display  of  a  good  deal  of  taste,  without  necessarily  involving 


ADJUNCTS    TO    A    HOUSE.  237 

expense.  It  may  sometimes  advantageously  be  placed  over  the 
ice-house,  or  a  spring  may  be  sufficiently  near  to  give  coolness  to 
its  air,  and  it  may  be,  water  to  form  a  little  rustic  fountain  in  its 
porch,  or  even  within  the  dairy. 

There  are  many  such  buildings  in  England,  generally  formed 
upon  a  Swiss  model,  and  pretty  and  cool  places  they  are  with 
their  Dutch-tile  covered  walls,  their  marble  slabs,  encaustic  floors, 
and  white  wood  ceilings.  In  this  country  these  prettinesses  would 
be  thought  too  expensive,  nor  are  they,  I  think,  in  very  good  taste. 
On  the  floors  clean,  smooth  tiles,  or  marble  slabs — the  shelves  of 
native  marble,  supported  by  piers  of  the  same,  or  by  iron  or 
wooden  brackets ;  the  walls  thick,  if  of  brick — double,  if  of  wood, 
filled  in  with  brick,  and  the  windows  wide  rather  than  high,  and 
latticed  in  diamond  form  in  lead,  with  the  glass  enamelled,  so  as 
to  soften  the  light ;  the  ceiling  of  four  and  a  half-inch  boards 
plowed,  tongued,  and  beaded,  and  the  walls  rough-cast  and  of  a 
pure  pearly  white;  the  wood  unpainted  and  of  good  hard 
quality;  these  are  all  easily  procured  and  inexpensive,  and 
properly  disposed,  will  make  the  dairy  a  pretty  and  consistent 
building,  and  as  such,  a  pleasant  feature  to  a  rural  home. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


PRACTICAL    DIRECTIONS    TO   AMATEURS    BEFORE    PROCEEDING    TO 
BUILD FORM    FOR    A    SIMPLE    CONTRACT  AND    SPECIFICATION 


I  REMEMBER  to  have  heard  of  a  man,  who,  before  his  builder 
could  give  him  any  intelligible  idea  of  the  plans  presented  to 
him,  had  to  see  the  walls  of  the  first  floor  built  up  in  brick 
(without  mortar),  so  as  to  comprehend  where  came  the  doors 
and  windows,  and  how  the  rooms  were  arranged.  In  such  a 
case,  a  person  about  to  commence  for  himself  a  house,  is  sorely 
puzzled  by  the  drawings  or  sketches  presented  to  him,  and  finds, 
the  more  he  examines,  the  more  bewildered  he  becomes.  His 
only  way  of  proceeding  is,  himself  to  make  with  a  pen  or  pencil 
a  rough  outline  of  the  plan,  which  he  perfectly  comprehending, 
a  competent  adviser  can  very  soon  shape  into  the  requisite  form. 
In  fact,  in  every  case,  even  before  consulting  an  architect,  the 
amateur  who  is  desirous  of  a  home,  should  endeavor  to  embody 
his  own  ideas  and  requirements  in  some  way,  no  matter  how 
roughly,  upon  paper.  By  this  means  he  will  (particularly  if  he 


PRACTICAL    DIRECTIONS    TO    AMATEURS.  239 

attempts  to  draw  his  plan  by  a  scale  of  inches  to  the  foot), 
acquire  a  tolerable  idea  of  how  one  part  affects  the  other,  and  be 
better  prepared  to  comprehend  and  profit  by  the  practical  advice 
and  remarks  of  his  professional  guide. 

Before  concluding  this  little  treatise  on  rural  homes,  I  would 
wish  to  give  some  few  and  simple  directions,  how  the  amateur 
may  himself  proceed  to  provide  himself  with  a  plan,  not  that  I 
would  be  understood  to  advise  him  to  be  his  own  architect,  (you 
know  the  Italian,  pro  verb — chi  s'insegna,  ha  un  pazzo  per 
maextro),  but  that  I  think  it  would  prove  profitable  to  both  were 
the  client  somewhat  acquainted  with  the  mechanical*part  of  the 
architect's  profession. 

Architectural  drawings  are  called  geometrical  and  perspective, 
that  is,  linear  and  pictorial.  The  geometrical  drawings  are  the 
plans,  sections,  and  elevations ;  the  perspective  are  views  of  the 
exterior  or  interior  of  the  building  in  which  the  actual  appearance 
as  seen  from  a  certain  point  of  sight,  not  blank  opposite,  would 
be  represented.  These  last  require  skill  and  artistic  practice  to 
make,  and  are  not  necessary  for  the  amateur. 

These  drawings  are  made  to  some  diminished  scale,  by  which 
every  part  has  its  proper  proportion  given  to  it,  and  admits  of  its 
dimensions  being  measured  off  as  accurately  as  if  from  the 
executed  work.  A  convenient  scale  is  obtained  by  dividing  an 
inch  into  eight  parts,  each  division  representing  one  foot ;  one  of 
these  parts  may  be  subdivided  into  four,  representing  three,  six, 
and  nine  inches,  smaller  divisions  into  single  inches  not  being 
necessary  for  such  a  drawing.  A  larger  scale,  as  for  instance  a 
quarter  or  half  of  an  inch  representing  a  foot,  may  be  used ;  but 
as  an  easy  and  sufficiently  distinct  scale  to  work  by,  the  eighth 
scale  will  be  found  convenient.  The  only  instruments  required 


240  RURAL   HOMES. 

will  be  a  T  square,  as  it  is  called,  that  is  a  straight  rale,  -with  a 
stock  at  one  end  set  cross-ways,  and  which,  held  firmly  against 
the  drawing-board,  will  always  give  lines  true  and  at  right 
angles ;  a  pair  of  dividers ;  a  small  compass  with  shifting  leg 
for  pen  and  pencil,  in  order  to  strike  curves ;  and  a  drawing-board, 
the  edges  of  which  must  be  true  to  each  other,  forming  a  perfect 
parallelogram. 

Wafer  down  a  piece  of  drawing-paper  on  the  board  and  first 
block  out  the  plan.  Do  so  in  the  following  manner :  Sketch 
first  roughly  on  a  loose  paper  the  number  and  the  distribution 
of  the  rooms,  and  figure — about — their  dimensions  in  each ;  then 
add  them  together  in  such  a  manner  as  you  may  get  the 
distances  from  external  point  to  point  on  each  side,  and  thus 
ascertain  the  area  of  the  whole  block.  Include  thicknesses  of 
walls  and  partitions  in  doing  this,  to  ascertain  which,  in  a  stono 
house,  put  down  the  external  walls  as  two  feet,  and  the  wooden 
partitions  as  eight  inches.  In  a  wooden  house,  suppose  tlie 
outer  walls  as  fourteen  inches,  and  the  partitions  six.  These 
dimensions  will  allow  for  studding,  firring  out,  and  plastering, 
and  will  leave  the  rooms  the  size  you  mean  them  to  be  in  the 
clear.  A  finished  house  often  disappoints  in  the  dimensions  of 
its  rooms  from  the  fact  that  the  owner  directs  the  size  on  the 
ground  to  be  so  and  so,  not  thinking  of  the  diminution  the  walls, 
etc.  will  make ;  it  is  to  avoid  this  that  I  direct  the  walls  to  be 
thought  of  at  first. 

Then,  having  some  idea  of  the  size  of  the  main  block  of  the 
house,  set  it  oufc-from  the  scale  upon  the  paper,  using  the  square 
at  the  side  for  those  lines  across  the  paper,  and  from  the  bottom 
for  those  up  and  down. 

Having   disposed  the  rooms,  and  seen  that  the  dimension? 


PRACTICAL    DIRECTIONS    TO    AMATEURS.  241 

work  in  rightly,  the  next  thing  to  be  thought  of  is  the  staircase. 
This  should  be  arranged  at  once,  as  its  proper  position  and  size 
are  very  important.  Say  that  the  principal  floor  is  to  be  eleven 
feet  high ;  you  have  therefore  twelve  feet  to  get  up  (one  foot 
added  for  the  joists  and  flooring),  to  the  chamber  level  above. 
This  must  be  divided  by  the  height  each  riser  is  to  be,  which 
we  will  say  is  seven  inches,  and  will  give  the  number  of  steps 
required,  which  we  will  take  as  twenty-one.  The  treads  of  each 
step  should  be  eleven  inches  ;  so  that  if  the  stairs  went  directly 
up  in  one  unbroken  flight,  they  would  require  a  space  on  the 
plan  of  nineteen  feet  by  whatever  their  width  was  made.  But 
such  a  flight  of  stairs  would  seldom  be  wished  in  one  straight 
ascent — a  landing  and  a  turn  would  be  made,  the  landing  most 
probably  at  such  a  height  as  would  come  to  a  level  with  the 
chamber  floor,  over  the  secondary  or  servants'  part  of  the  house, 
and  which  would  not  be  so  high  as  eleven  feet.  Take  this  at 
nine,  and  say  there  is  a  a  turning  on  the  staircase — the  space  it 
would  occupy  would  be  about  fifteen  feet,  and  its  width,  eight. 

Under  the  stairs,  where  doors  or  passage  ways  were  needed, 
calculation  must  be  made  that  there  is  sufficient  headway  ;  which 
can  be  done  by  counting  the  number  of  steps  to  the  place,  and 
then,  if  at  seven  inches  each,  they  made  a  height  not  less  than 
seven  or  eight  feet,  the  headway  would  be  sufficient. 

The  next  thing  to  be  done  is  to  determine  the  position  of 
doors,  windows,  and  fire-places.  Allow  four  feet  for  each  door, 
which  will  prevent  any  crowding  in  actual  execution,  and  the 
same  for  each  window ;  the  fire-places,  if  merely  for  flues  and 
stoves,  need  not  be  very  large,  nor  need  they  be  set  out,  only  as 
securing  a  proper  place  for  them  that  does  not  interfere  with  doors 
11 


242  RURAL    HOMES. 

or  other  openings.  If  for  chimney  pieces  and  grates,  four  to  five 
feet  must  be  left  by  eighteen  inches  deep. 

Then  see  how  the  chamber  floor  is  best  divided;  try  and 
make  the  partitions  come  over  those  below,  keeping  an  eye  also 
upon  the  position  of  windows,  that  they  also  may  be  in  line  with 
those  on  the  ground  floor,  or  if  otherwise  placed,  that  they  may 
not  mar  the  symmetry  of  the  elevation. 

Nothing  more  is  needed  in  the  plans  than  to  show  where  the 
verandas,  the  porch  or  ornbra  are  to  be ;  and  those  points  settled, 
and  a  generous  width  left  for  the  veranda  floors  (never  less  than 
f^even  or  twelve  feet),  some  attempt  may  be  made  upon  the 
elevation. 

This  should  first  be  roughly  sketched,  the  heights  of  the  rooms 
calculated,  so  as  to  show  the  actual  skeleton  of  the  building,  and 
lines  drawn  lightly  across,  to  show  the  range  of  top  and  sill  of 
the  windows  in  each  floor.  These  should  be  never  more  than 
two  feet  four  inches  from  the  ground  on  the  principal,  nor  more 
than  two  feet  six  on  the  chamber  floor,  and  should  extend  to  a 
height  not  above  ten  inches  of  the  ceiling,  nor  lower  than 
eighteen.  Then  set  out  the  roof  line ;  if  a  gable,  find  its  centre 
and  set  its  pitch,  marking  the  projection  of  its  eaves  (never  less 
than  twenty  inches,)  on  the  side.  Then,  with  the  line  drawn 
for  the  veranda  cornice,  the  level  of  its  floor  and  its  height  above 
the  ground  determined,  all  the  points  of  the  elevation  are 
obtained  and  its  general  form  can  be  seen  in  mass.  The  character 
and  the  detail  no  rules  are  needed  to  obtain ;  whatever  the  style 
chosen  is  to  be,  such  the  treatment.  And  here  I  would  not 
recommend  the  amateur  to  proceed  further,  unless  he  has  suffi 
ciently  studied  the  subject  to  be  able  to  develope  the  character 
of  his  structure  in  de-tail. 


PRACTICAL    DIRECTIONS    TO    AMATEURS.  243 

General  arrangement  of  the  plan,  the  height,  and  leading 
outlines  of  his  building  he  can,  with  great  pleasure  and  profit  to 
himself,  set  forth,  but  the  practical  part — that  his  builder  must 
have  drawn  understandingly  to  be  able  to  carry  out.  He  had 
better  not  attempt  this,  or  he  will  be  led  into  trouble.  If 
no  architect  is  at  hand  to  supply  him  with  a  set  of  working 
drawings,  he  had  better  let  his  builder  draw  out  from  the  plans 
he  has  made,  the  elevation  and  some  details,  and  possibly 
he  may  be  able,  from  them,  to  suggest  to  the  mechanic  what 
alterations  he  would  have  made,  and  between  them,  may 
concoct  a  very  satisfactory  dwelling,  and  if  all  I  have  said  before 
this  has  been  carefully  read,  I  would  hint,  they  cannot  go  very 
far  astray  in  making  the  structure  worthy  of  the  name  of 
a  rural  home. 

But  to  make  the  wishes  of  the  owner  intelligible  to  the 
builder,  and  to  designate  the  character  of  the  finishing,  and  of 
the  various  works  necessary  to  the  house,  a  written  description 
of  them  will  be  requisite.  This  is  called  a  specification,  and 
is  of  great  use  where  no  regular  drawings  are  made. 

Where  an  architect  is  employed,  it  is  not  so  necessary,  as 
if  the  drawings  are  properly  prepared,  there  can  be  no  opportu 
nity  for  the  builder  to  evade  his  contract.  With  these,  and 
a  few  memoranda  of  finishings,  there  is  less  room,  for  litigation 
and  cavil  upon  settlement  after  completion,  and  no  specification 
would  be  so  fully  drawn  out,  as  not  to  admit  of  evasion,  if  the 
builder  were  tricky,  and  desirous  to  run  up  a  bill  of  extras. 
The  best  way  is  always  to  employ  a  respectable  man,  who  has  a 
character  to  lose  ;  even  preferring  to  pay  a  little  more  in 
the  first  contract  price,  than  to  select  the  well-looking,  but 
frequently  deceptive,  cheap  tender,  of  some  speculating  carpenter. 


244  RURAL    HOMES. 

The  simplest  form  of  specification  is  the  best.  It  should  be 
always  more  a  series  of  general  directions,  with  any  especial  or 
peculiar  features  of  the  house  explained  in  detail,  than  an 
itemizing  particular  schedule  of  works,  in  which  it  is  scarcely 
possible  not  to  omit  the  enumeration  of  something.  I  was 
once  made  a  referee  in  a  case  of  a  contested  bill,  in  which  the 
contractors  claimed  a  considerable  amount  over  their  tendered 
price,  and  defended  it  on  the  grounds  that  the  works  and  mate 
rials  charged  had  not  appeared  in  the  specification.  The 
building  was  a  church,  and  the  committee  had  tied  the 
contractors  down  in  a  very  stringent  agreement,  by  which  "  the 
specification,  the  whole  specification,  and  nothing  but  the 
specification,"  was  to  be  acted  on.  This  had  been  drawn  up  by 
some  over  zealous  architect,  who  had  enumerated  the  number 
and  weight  of  such  articles  as  screws,  nails,  latches  and  hinges 
to  pew  doors,  etc.,  and  metal  covering  on  roof.  In  the  bill 
were  charges  for  something  like  more  than  thirty  times  the 
weight  of  the  nails  directed  to  be  used,  and  the  same  to 
the  other  things.  These,  of  course,  were  necessary,  and  had 
particular  mention  of  them  (more  than  a  description  of  their 
quality)  been  omitted  in  the  specification,  the  builders  would 
have  had  no  ground  upon  which  to  rest  their  charge  of  extras. 
As  a  caution  on  this  head,  I  introduce  this  little  reminiscence, 
adding  that  the  charge  was  deemed  a  just  one,  and  allowed  to 
the  contractors. 

The  following  specification  is  intended  to  apply  generally  to 
stone,  or  frame,  or  brick  country  houses  of  moderate  size,  and 
will  serve  to  show  the  nature  of  the  materials  and  workmanship 
employed.  It  must,  however,  be  considered  as  the  frame-work 


PRACTICAL    DIRECTIONS    TO    AMATEURS.  245 

upon  which  a  specification  should  be  constructed,  rather  than  as 
a  model  of  an  instrument  of  this  kind  : — 


SPECIFICATON  OF  WORKS  required  to  be  done  in  erect 
ing  a  dwelling  house,  for  to  be 
situated  on  a  lot  of  ground  owned  by  him  in  the  Town 
ship  of  State  of 

The  house  on  the  ground  to  be  feet 

from  East  to  West,  and  feet  from 

North  to  South,  in  the  clear,  the  offsets  to  be  measured 
from  the  plan,  (or  are  to  be  in  manner  as  described.) — 

The  heights  of  stories  to  be  as  follows : — 

The  level  of  cellar  floor  to  be  feet  below 

ground  line,  the  cellar  to  finish  feet  in  the 

clear,  and  the  veranda  floor  to  be  feet  above 

ground  line,  and  one  step  of  seven  inches  below  the  level 
of  principal  floor  of  house. 

The  first  story  to  be  feet  in  the  cleai 

The  second  to  be  feet  in  the  clear. 

The  walls  to  be  carried  up  feet  above 

the  ceiling  of  chamber  floor,  to  the  under  side  of  wall- 
plate. 

The  rooms  in  the  wing  are  to  be  feet  in 

the  clear,  in  the  first  story,  and  feet  in  the 

second,  the  walls  to  be  feet,  thence  to 

underside  of  plate. 

(If  there  are  any  peculiar  features  as  tower  or  observa 
tory  of  additional  height, — here  mention  them). 


246  RURAL    HOMES. 

Excavator.  The  ground  is  to  be  excavated  for  the'  construction  of 

the  foundations,  drains,  tanks,  cess-pools,  and  all  the  other 

works  so  needed,  and  to  be  filled  in  again  and  leveled 

about  foundations,  and  the  superfluous  earth  and  rubbish 

carted  away,  as  directed,  leaving  the  ground  and  house 

perfectly  clear  at  the  conclusion  of  the  works. 

Jfason    (If  the  walls  be  of  stone.)     The  walls  are  to  be  built  of 

Brick-    st°ne  fr°m  the  Quarry,  laid  in  the  natu- 

layer.     ral  bed  and  with  headers,  or  bonders,  passing  through 

every  six-feet  in  length,  and  three  in  height.     To  be  laid 

in  mortar,  compounded  of  one-third,  by  measure,  of  well 

burnt    stone-lime,  and  two-thirds  of  clean,  sharp,  fresh 

sand,  well  beaten  and  worked  up  together. 

The  sills,  lintels,  weathering  of  water-table,  and  all 
portions  so  indicated  by  the  drawings,  to  be  cut  to  the 
requisite  splay  or  mouldings  and  to  be  carefully  bedded 
in  the  walls.  The  face  of  the  walls  to  be  hammer- 
dressed  after  laying,  and  each  course  of  stone  not  to 
exceed  ten  inches  in  height.  (If  the  walls  are  to  be  in 
dressed,  regular  masonry,  in  breaking  bond,  they  must 
be  differently  described,  as  follows :  The  stone  to  be 
kid  in  regular  courses  not  exceeding  inches  in 

height,  and  no  stone  to  be  more  than  two  feet  four 
inches  in  length,  to  be  carefully  squared  and  cut,  and  the 
mortar  worked  into  the  courses  and  lined.) 

To  provide  and  lay  hearth-stones  in  all  the  rooms  and 
chambers   so   directed   (they   should    be    enumerated). 
To  put  to  the  external  door- ways  stone  steps  where  so 
directed,  solid  and  tooled,  and  of  good  quality 
Btone. 


PRACTICAL    DIRECTIONS    TO    AMATEURS.  247 

To  build  up,  core,  and  parget  the  chimney  flues. 

To   put   to   each   fire-place  a  inch  brick- 

trimmer,  and  a  chimney-bar  of  wrought  iron. 

To  thoroughly  bed  in  mortar  all  the  wall  plates,  wood- 
bricks,  lintels,  bond-timber,  and  to  bed  in  and  point 
round  with  lime  and  hair  mortar,  all  the  door  and  win 
dow  frames. 

To  properly  set  with  fire-bricks  the  grates  and  copper. 

To  construct  an  oven  with  brick  domed  over  and  lined 
with  fire-brick,  furnished  with  an  iron  plate  door. 

(If  needed  in  any  of  the  offices.)  To  pave  the 

with  hard,  sound,  well-burnt  bricks  laid  on 
on  edge  in  mortar  upon  a  dry,  hard  floor  of  broken 
rubbish  and  stone. 

To  pave  the  with  stone  flagging  laid  in 

cement  upon  dry,  hard  floor. 

To  build  all  drains,  cesspools,  and  water-tanks  directed 
laid  in  hydraulic  cement  (or  otherwise),  and  the  cesspool 
steined  round  with  brick-work  and  covered  with  a 
stone  cover. 

To  dig  and  stein  in  a  well  twenty-five  feet  (or  other 
wise)  deep,  and  furnish  with  carriage,  sheaves,  pulley, 
and  bucket  of  approved  quality. 
Carpenter     ^.11  timber  and  deals  to  be  free  from  sap,  shakes,  large 

and, 

Joiner,  loose  and  dead  knots,  and  every  other  defect. 

All  the  timbers  to  be  of  full  scantlings,  and  any  not 
enumerated  to  be  taken  as  of  the  quality  and  scantlings 
requisite  in  houses  of  first  class. 

Ground  floor  joists  to  be  inches  by 

plates  inches  by  ;  upper  floor  joists  to 


248  RURAL    HOMES. 

be  inches  by  ;  on  plates  inches 

by  ;  trimmer  and  trimmer  joists  to  be  J  inch 

thicker. 

Frame  quarter  partitions  of  heads. and 

sills  inches  by  inches  ;  door-posts,  side- 

posts,  plates  above  doors,  and  braces  inches  by 

inches. 

The  roof  to  be  as  follows : 

Wall-plates  inches  by  inches  ;  purlines 

inches  by  inches  ;  collar-beam 

inches  by  inches ;   rafters  inches  by 

inches ;  ceiling-joists  inches  by  inches  ; 

ridge-piece  inches  by  inches. 

Lean-to  roofs  (if  any),  including  verandas  to  be  wall- 
plates  inches  by  inches  ;  rafters 
inches  by               inches. 

(N.  B.  These  should  be  given  to  the  builder  to  be 
filled  up  with  the  scantlings  he  proposes  to  adopt ;  and 
then,  if  thought  best,  submitted  to  some  other  practical 
and  disinterested  party  for  examination  ;  it  is  impossible 
to  give  any  guide  here,  as  their  scantlings  would  so  much 
vaiy  with  the  different  bearings  required  for  various 
dimensions  of  rooms.) 
Oarpentcr  Floors  to  be  laid  in  best  manner,  with  straight  joint 

and 

Joiner,  (if  to  be  deafened,  that  is,  if  to  have  mortar  laid  between, 
so  as  to  prevent  transmission  of  sound,  so  direct  here  and 
under  head  of  "  Mason").  To  construct  the  stairs  of 
twelve  inch  deal  treads  projecting  one  inch,  and  finished 
with  rounded  nosings  ;  treads  six  and  a  quarter  to  seven 
and  a  quarter  inches  high,  framed  into  string  bearers, 


PRACTICAL    DIRECTIONS    TO    AMATEURS.  249 

with  newel,  newel-post  and  balusters,  two  on  each  step, 
and  moulded  hand-rail.  Balusters,  post  and  hand-rail  to 
be  according  to  drawing  or  to  an  approved  pattern,  deter 
mined  upon  before  completion  of  contract. 

Doors. — Outside  doors  to  be  as  follows :  Front  door 
in  entrance  to  be  double-folding  doors,  each  half  two  feet 
three,  inches  wide,  four  paneled,  two  and  a  half  inch, 
eight  feet  four  inches  high ;  (or  otherwise — if  to  be  glazed, 
describe  the  panels  to  be  left  open  for  glass ;)  other  exter 
nal  doors  to  be  two  inch  six  panel  doors,  seven  feet  six 
inches  high  and  three  feet  three  inches  wide.  The  back 
door  or  doors  of  out-buildings  to  be  one  and  three-quarter 
inch,  formed  with  vertical  ledges,  rebated  and  beaded 
joints,  nailed  to  jack  braces. 

To  fit  up  all  the  internal  doorways  with  six  (or  eight) 
panel  doors,  one  inch  and  seven-eighths  thick,  for  the 
principal  doors,  (enumerate  the  rooms,)  and  one  and  a 
half  inches  thick  for  the  secondary  doorways.  Dooi 
casings,  skirting  board,  and  other  inside  finish,  to  be  as 
represented  by  the  drawing,  or  as  agreed  upon  before 
completion  of  the  contract. 

Windows. — To  fit  to  the  openings  deal-cased  window 
frames,  with  oak  sunk  sills,  to  have  sashes  double  hung 
with  weights,  axle  pulley,  lines  and  fastenings ;  or,  (for 
French  and  casement  windows,)  to  fit  to  the  window 
openings  rough  rebated  and  beaded  frames,  with  oak 
sunk  sills,  and  two  and  a  quarter  casements,  filled  in  with 
cross  bars  or  other  sash-lights,  hung  with  butt-hinges  and 
provided  with  proper  fastenings  (see  presently,  under  the 
head  of  "  trimmings"). 
11* 


250  RURAL   HOMES. 

Closet  doors  to  be  the  same  finish  as  room  doors  on 
their  outer  sides,  and  finished  flush  within.  Closets  to 
be  provided  with  shelves,  as  directed,  not  less  than  one 
shelf  to  every  sixteen  inches  in  height. 

To  put  up  in  the  kitchen  (or  elsewhere)  a  dresser 
seven  (to  nine)  feet  long,  three  (to  four)  feet  wide,  with 
two  long  drawers,  each  half  the  length  of  the  top,  and 
two  small  drawers,  one  at  each  end  ;  long  drawers  to  be 
eight  inches  deep,  the  two  small  ones  five  inches  deep 
and  one  foot  wide,  same  length  as  the  width  of  dresser. 
Back  of  dresser  to  be  shelved  with  one  shelf  every  sixteen 
inches  of  height,  fourteen  inches  wide,  and  inch  and  a 
half  thick.  Under  side  of  dresser  to  be  provided  with 
inch  square  framed  doors,  huiag  with  butt  hinges. 

The  sink  (or  sinks)  to  be  inclosed  with  doors  below. 
Water-closet  to  be  made  with  mahogany  (or  other  wood) 
seat  and  riser.  (Describe  the  rest  of  the  work  necessary 
here,  under  the  head  of  "  Plumber.") 

Outside  blinds,  and  inside  blinds  and  shutters.  (These 
must  be  described,  where  requisite,  severally  in  manner 
as  follows.)  Outside  blinds  to  be  made  with  slats,  framed 
into  inch  and  a  quarter  frames  three  inches  wide,  hung 
with  hinges  and  trimmed  with  proper  fastenings ;  inside 
blinds  to  be  seven-eighths  thick,  made  with  turning  slats 
in  frames  to  fold,  to  be  of  pine  (or  better  of  hard  wood), 
to  be  carefully  made.  Shutters  to  be  inch  and  a  quarter 
paneled,  to  match  with  other  finish.  To  fold  as  required, 
hung  with  hinges  and  trimmed. 

TO  \^  plaster,  set  and  whiten  all  ceilings  and 
partitions  (mention  any  not  to  be  so  treated) ;  to  render 


PRACTICAL    DIRECTIONS    TO    AMATEURS.  251 

and  set  the  walls,  (firring  out  and  lathing  if  required) 
the  same  to  be  left  hard  finish  ;  or,  to  be  colored  twice 
with  a  good  stone  color,  (and  afterwards  finished  in 
color  as  directed)  or,  prepared  for  paper. 

Cellar  walls  and  such  outbuildings  as  so  described,  to 
be  lime-whited  inside. 

(If  any  plaster  cornices  inside  are  to  be  used,  describe 
them  here.) 

To  provide  and  fix  grates  in  the  several  fire-places 
directed,  or — to  fix  grates  provided  by  the  proprietor 
where  directed.  Same  to  boiler  and  coppers. 

To  provide  and  fix  a  bar  to  each  window  (if  the  walls 
be  of  stone  or  brick.) 

To  provide  and  fix  cast  iron  air-gratings  m  the  exter 
nal  walls,  and  grating  to  drains,  cesspools,  and  cellar 
windows  as  directed. 

To  provide  and  fix  all  other  requisite  iron-work — 
including  lightning-rods. 

(N.  B.  If  a  furnace  be  used  for  heating,  the  metal- 
work  that  the  contractor  is  to  do  connected  therewith, 
should  here  be  specified.) 

To  cover  the  roofs  (metal)  with  tin,  and  to  provide 
and  fix  eaves-gutters  and  leaders  as  required.  (If  the 
roof  be  shingled,  insert  under  head  of  "  carpenter,"  to 
be  covered  with  shingles,  nailed  on  with  copper  nails, 
using  at  least  two  to  each  shingle.) 
Metal-  The  locks,  bolts,  fastenings,  pulleys,  weights,  <fec.,  all 

Trim- 

to  be  provided,  where  requisite,  by  the  contractor,  and 
are  to  be  of  the  best  qualities  of  their  respective  kinds. 
The  bells,  cranks,  and  wire  to  be  also  provided  and  set 


RURAL    HOMES. 


as  directed.  (Here  enumerate  the  rooms  to  be  fur 
nished  with  bells.)  The  front  door-post  to  be  furnished 
with  an  escutcheon  plate,  and  bell-handle,  (plated  or 
bronze,  as  directed)  to  be  of  best  quality  an£  of  an 
approved  pattern.  (The  annexed  illustration  shows  a 
suitable  design  for  the  purpose.) 


SH.VKE  PLATED  GOTHIC  FRONT  DOOR  BELL-PULL. 


The  trimming  of  doors,  shutters,  blinds  and  windows 
to   be   of  best    quality,   the    French    windows   to   be 


CRANK  HANDI.B  AND  PORCELAIN  KNOB. 


PRACTICAL    DIRECTIONS    TO    AMATEURS. 


253 


furnished  with  crank,  handle,  and  knob  of  porcelain,  and 
of  approved  design.  (Here  is  an  illustration  of  one  of 
the  best.) 

The   hinges  of  French   windows   to   be  double  fold 

O 

or  right  angle  plates.  (There  is  a  new  hinge,  lately 
introduced  by  Baldwin  &  Many  for  this  purpose,  a  cut 
of  which  is  given,  as  it  has  much  to  recommend  it) 


FRENCH  WINDOW  HINGE. 


EABBETSD  LOOK. 


The  locks  of  ditto,  to  be  rabbeted  locks,  with  handle 
and  key,  (as  shown  in  this  illustration.) 

Sliding  blinds,  windows,  or  shutters  (where  used)  to  be  trimmed 
with  brass  sheaves  and  way,  of  approved  construction,  and  to  be 
furnished  with  Astragal  Latch  (where  the  stile  is  very  narrow),  or 
with  crank-handle  latch).  (Cuts  of  each  are  shown,  to  explain 
the  forms  of  those  of  best  construction). 

Other   trimmings   to   be   furnished   where    requisite. 
(If  ventilating  valves,  registers,  and  any  other  apparatus 


254 


RURAL    HOMES. 


for  the  purpose  of  securing  passage  of  air,  be  used,  they 
must  be  specified  here  ;  I  would  particularly  advise  that 


PLAIN  FACE  LATCH. 


ASTRAGAL  FACE  LATOH. 


one  of  the  ventilating  valves  so  often  spoken  of,  be  placed 

near  the  ceiling  in  the  smoke  flue  of  every  room.) 
Pointer.       ^o  properly  prepare  and  paint  the  whole  of  the  wood, 

(and  other  work  required),  four   times  with   good  oil 

color,  finishing  such  tints  as  directed. 

Or, — to  stain  and  twice  varnish  the  wood-work. 
(If  sand  is  to  be  used,  specify  to  that  effect). 
Plwnb«r.     ^o  provide  and  fix  all  leaden  pipe  required,  to  furnish 

and  fix   apparatus   agreed  on  for  the  water  closet  and 

bathing-room. 
Glacier.     TO  glaze  all  the  windows  with  clear  good  glass  of  the 

qualities  determined,  properly  bedded  and  back-puttied. 

Stained  glass  where  used  to  be  put  in  with  lead  bandings 

and  secured  with  iron  roda  and  staples. 


PRACTICAL    DIRECTIONS    TO    AMATEURS.  255 

Paper      To  PrePar<3  properly,  and  hang  the  whole  of  the  plas- 

hanger.  tered  sides  of  such  rooms,  halls,  entries,  and  partitions  as 

may  be  directed,  with  paper  selected  by  the  proprietor 

at  a  certain  cost  each  room  per  yard  that  may  be  agreed. 

(specify  the  rate  here). 

Yard.      Properly  form  and  level  the  surface  of  the  yard,  and 
cloying  Pu^  UP  fences  or  external  walls  of  the  height,  thick- 
wall>   nesses,  and  description  required. 

The  whole  of  the  works  are  to  be  executed  and  finished  in  a 
good  and  workmanlike  manner,  according  to  this  specification, 
and  to  the  full  and  true  intent  and  meaning  of  the  same.  And 
if  any  omission  appears  to  have  been  made  of  work  to  be  done, 
or  material,  or  finishing,  or  trimming,  to  be  provided,  which  is 
evidently  an  omission,  and  is  usually  supplied  to  houses  of  the 
class,  extent,  and  character  of  this,  then  the  contractor  (or 
builder)  is  to  perform  the  same  as  if  fully  detailed  in  this  speci 
fication. 

No  extra  works  are  to  be  charged  for,  but  such  as  are  agreed 
upon  at  the  time,  and  an  order  in  writing  given  to  the  contrac 
tor  (or  builder). 


256  RURAL  iiuiM::3. 


FORM  OF  A  CONTRACT  TO  BE  APPENDED  TO  A  SPECIFICATION. 

In  consideration  of  the  sum  of  dollars  to 

be  paid  to  me  by  of  and  in 

manner  following,  that  is  to  say : 

Twenty-five  per  cent,  upon  laying  of  second  floor  joists  ; 

Twenty-five  per  cent,  upon  roofing  in ; 

Twenty-five  per  cent,  upon  rendering  up  the  building  ; 
and  the  remainder  within  six  months  therefrom  ;  I  here 
by  agree  to  perform  all  the  works  described  in  the  fore 
going  specification  and  illustrated  in  the  drawings  at 
tached  thereto,  subject  to  all  the  conditions  therein 
contained,  and  to  be  finished  on  or  before  the 
day  of  in  penalty  of  a  sum  not  exceeding 

fifty  dollars  per  week  for  every  week  after  that  period 
they  shall  remain  incomplete  ;  and  I  farther  agree 
to  execute  said  works  in  the  best  and  most  workmanlike 
roanner,  using  materials  of  the  best  quality  of  their 
several  kinds,  and  supplying  everything  not  specially  re 
ferred  to  or  described  in  the  specification  and  drawings, 
but  usually  considered  requisite  in  a  house  of  this  class. 
And  I  agree  to  abide  by  the  decision  of  the  architect  (if 
there  be  any,  if  not  some  disinterested  referee)  in  all  con 
tested  points,  and  to  accept  his  opinion  as  final. 

In  witness  whereof  (here  follow  form  of  sig 

nature  and  witness.) 

« 
The  specification  and  form  for  contract  here  given,  are  simple 

and  comprehensive,  and  without  multiplying  words,  are  such  as 


PRACTICAL    DIRECTIONS    TO    AMATEURS.  257 

a  contractor  or  builder  would  find  it  hard  to  evade,  supposing  ho 
were  disposed  to  litigation.  But  if  the  proprietor  bo  so  unfortu 
nate  as  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  a  tricky  builder,  none  but  the 
shrewdest  lawyer  can  help  in  preventing  a  bill  of  extras,  and 
even  he  would  not  be  able  to  control  every  item  ;  I  hope,  how 
ever,  that  the  very  few  such  men  there  are,  may  not  have  tho 
erection  of  any  of  these  rural  homes  entrusted  to  them,  as  though 
weemingly  so  cheap  at  first,  they  are  dearly  bought  bargains  be 
fore  done  with. 

Where  no  architect  is  employed,  it  would  be  well  for  the 
gentleman  who  is  building,  from  time  to  time,  to  inform  himself 
of  the  market  price  of  materials  and  labor,  and  compare  the 
information  he  has  gathered  with  the  charges  made  him  by  his 
builder.  If  any  one  has  recently  finished  a  good  house  in  the 
vicinity,  occasional  inspection  of  portions  of  it,  and  a  few  questions 
asked  of  its  owner  will  be  of  great  advantage,  as  his  experience 
will  be  valuable,  and  I  believe  no  one  would,  under  the  circum 
stances,  refuse  to  give  it.  I  would  particularly  caution  against 
the  introduction  of  frequent  changes  in  the  plan  of  the  house,  as, 
independently  of  causing  increased  cost,  they  are  apt  to  involve 
the  design,  and  if  the  owner  is  not  acting  under  an  architect's 
advice,  the  house,  however  promising  in  appearance  at  first,  may 
be  spoiled  from  want  of  caution  in  introducing  changes.  Let 
the  plans  be  deliberated  upon  as  thoroughly  as  needs  be  at  first ; 
it  were  well  if  a  winter's  study  was  spent  upon  them  ;  but  once 
matured  and  the  owner  satisfied  with  them,  they  should  be 
carried  out  without  deviation. 

Before  commencing  the  building,  an  accurate  estimate  of  its 
cost  should  be  procured  from  the  builder,  and  any  changes 
economy  may  then  suggest  taken  advantage  of.  The  estimates 


258  RURAL   HOMES. 

should  be  made  so  as  to  show  the  quantities  of  the  several 
materials  to  be  used  and  the  prices  annexed ;  these  any  builder 
can  accurately  figure  out,  although  he  may  be  mistaken  in  his 
time  and  labor  estimate.  A  very  safe  allowance  may  be  made 
after  the  cost  of  materials  delivered  on  the  ground  has  been 
obtained,  by  adding  that  sum  and  one-third  more  as  the  price 
for  time,  labor,  and  builder's  profit.  This  will  give  sufficiently 
near  for  safe  guidance  the  probable  expense  of  the  finished 
building,  and  is  a  test  I  would  advise  the  owner  to  apply,  my 
own  experience  having  shown  it  to  be  a  very  safe  one.  Thus, 
suppose  the  builder's  estimate  of  cost  of  materials  to  be  three 
thousand  dollars,  the  cost  of  the  house  would  be  seven  thousand. 
Another  way  of  approximating  the  cost  of  a  house  is  by  averaging 
with  the  expense  of  previously  constructed  buidings ;  thus,  an 
architect's  experience  has  shown  him  that  houses  of  a  certain 
class  have  cost  so  much  per  square  of  one  hundred  feet,  or  so 
much  per  cubic  foot.  For  instance,  a  building  on  plan  forty  feet 
square,  of  usual  height,  finish,  and  quality,  would  be  taken  as 
worth  two  hundred  dollars  a  square,  and  as  there  are  sixteen 
squares  in  the  house,  the  cost  would  by  such  a  rule  be  thirty- 
two  hundred  dollars.  Another,  and  seemingly  more  accurate 
way,  is  to  base  the  calculations  on  the  cube  of  the  building, 
multiplying  the  square  of  the  dimensions  of  its  plan  by  the 
height,  and  allowing  a  certain  sum  per  cubic  foot.  Thus,  in  a 
house  forty  feet  square  and  thirty-five  feet  high,  from  the  cellar 
or  foundation  level  to  the  underside  of  the  wall-plate,  would  con 
tain  one  hundred  and  twelve  thousand  cubic  feet.  Previous 
calculation  of  the  expense  of  other  buildings  of  supposed  similar 
finish  and  average  cost  has  shown  that  three  cents  per  cubic  foot 
would  be  a  fair  estimate,  thus  making  its  total  three  thousand, 


PRACTICAL    DIRECTIONS    TO    AMATEURS.  259 

three  hundred,  and  thirty-six  dollars.  Such  calculations  as  these, 
however,  can  by  no  means  implicitly  be  depended  upon,  but  an 
architect,  or  any  one  who  has  frequently  been  in  the  habit  of 
building,  soon  acquires  experience  in  determining  the  value  of 
work,  and  generally,  by  adopting  some  such  formula,  arrives  at 
a  very  reliable  estimate  of  its  total  cost.  In  a  building  costing 
nearly  sixty  thousand  dollars,  my  estimates  of  its  cost,  based 
upon  a  somewhat  similar  system  of  calculations,  proved  to  be 
but  three  hundred  dollars  different  from  the  accepted  tender 
and  contract,  nor  did  the  finished  work,  so  far  as  the  architect 
had  control,  vary  from  the  first  expenditure  determined  on. 

An  experiment  has  recently  been  tried  of  building  in  a  still 
cheaper  and  more  economical  manner  than  heretofore  ;  of  course 
any  attempt  towards  a  result  so  desirable,  is  interesting.  It 
consists  in  the  use  of  a  different  material  to  any  I  have  as  yet 
spoken  of  for  the  walls,  and  a  change  in  the  framing  of  the 
interior.  The  walls  are  built  of  earth — not  mud  walls  as  were 
once  used,  and  though  the  system  is  no  novelty  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Atlantic,  is  but  of  recent  origin  here.  Having 
recently  had  an  opportunity  of  examining  some  economical 
houses  so  constructed,  before  bringing  this  chapter  to  a  close, 
I  will  describe  the  process  and  manner  of  building.  The  foun 
dation  of  the  walling  is  formed  of  stone  or  brick-work  rising  six 
inches  or  a  foot  above  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  about 
twenty  inches  thick.  On  this  should  be  a  layer  of  broken  stone 
or  slate  laid  in  hydraulic  cement,  to  prevent  the  rising  of  the 
damp.  The  foundation  being  completed,  frames  of  plank  of  any 
convenient  length  are  laid  upon  the  edges  of  the  stone  or  brick 
work,  and  secured  at  the  bottom  by  stout  iron  wire  drawn 
through  from  side  to  side  and  fastened  by  a  nut,  the  upper  part 


260  RURAL    HOMES. 

being  kept  open  by  blocks  of  the  requisite  width  every  two  or 
three  feet  in  the  length.  Drop  ends  are  also  made  to  this  plank 
box,  and  complete  the  whole  of  the  machinery  required.  The 
holes  through  which  the  wire  is  drawn  are  made  with  slits 
downwards,  so  that  the  frame  may  be  lifted  up  leaving  the  wire 
remaining  in  the  walls.  Into  this  frame  the  earth,  prepared  in 
either  one  of  the  following  methods,  is  filled  in.  The  earth  is 
either  a  loamy  gravel,  made  as  dry  as  possible,  mixed  with 
stones,  and  then,  without  any  cement,  compressed  in  the  frame. 
It  is  held  together  by  the  force  of  adhesion  alone,  and  walling 
of  this  description  which  is  so  durable  as  to  have  stood  the  test 
of  more  than  two  centuries'  wear  and  tear  in  Europe,  is  called 
Pis&.  Another  method  is  to  mix  loam  or  clay  with  straw  and 
moisten  it  with  water,  then  leaving  it  in  the  frame  some  time  to 
dry  and  become  consolidated  before  another  course  is  added.  A 
third  method  is  to  fill  the  frame  with  clay  lumps  previously  well 
beaten,  and  mixed  with  old,  short  straw,  and  saturated  with  as 
much  water  as  the  clay  will  absorb.  In  either  of  these  latter 
methods,  all  stones  must  be  carefully  picked  out,  and  the  walling 
allowed  considerable  time  to  dry,  hence  buildings  so  constructed 
are  tediously  long  in  hand. 

The  pise  walls  are  proceeded  with  as  follows :  After  the 
frame  is  filled  (it  may  be  three  or  four  feet  high,  and  as  long  as 
convenient  for  the  openings  of  doors  and  windows)  the  lower 
wires  acting  as  bolts  are  cut  off  and  the  blocks  at  top  loosened, 
the  sides  of  the  frame  are  then  raised  so  that  the  lower  holes 
come  to  a  line  with  the  top,  fresh  wires  are  then  drawn  through 
and  the  blocks  keyed  up.  One  course  may  be  raised  upon 
another,  as  thus  described,  immediately  it  is  finished,  but  it  will 
be  found  more  convenient  to  carry  on  the  courses  horizontally, 


PRACTICAL   DIRECTIONS   TO    AMATEURS.  261 

keeping  all  of  an  equal  height.  As  the  work  proceeds  the  tops 
of  the  walling  are  covered  with  board  to  screen  from  the  weather, 
and  the  roof  should  be  put  on  as  soon  as  the  walls  are  carried 
the  requisite  height.  The  usual  manner  of  finishing  the  space 
left  for  the  doors  and  windows  is  by  placing  partition  boards, 
fastened  to  the  framework,  upright  and  horizontally  as  required, 
and  stopping  the  filling  in  against  them,  inserting  here  arid  there 
pieces  of  timber  two  or  three  inches  thick  for  attaching  the 
door-posts  and  window-frames  to.  On  the  second  story,  sleepers 
or  plates  are  laid  on  the  inner  side  of  the  walls,  as  in  the  ordinary 
manner,  for  the  floor  joists  to  rest  upon. 

As  an  improvement,  I  would  advise  building  the  sides  of  all 
openings  for  doors,  windows,  etc.,  in  brick-work,  filling  the 
walling  up  against  it,  and  leaving  the  brick-work  in  alternate 
courses  so  as  to  bond  with  the  walling.  This  method  would 
make  the  walling  solid  and  durable  in  the  extreme,  and  if,  in 
addition,  the  cornel's  of  the  buiding  were  protected  with  stone  or 
brick  in  the  same  manner,  the  structure  would  no  doubt  last  as 
long  here  as  similar  ones  have  in  Europe.  In  Devonshire  and 
some  other  of  the  southern  and  western  counties  of  England,  are 
still  standing  houses  so  built,  which  the  title-deeds  show  to  be 
more  than  two  centuries  old,  nor,  as  yet,  do  they  show  any  signs 
of  decay. 

The  internal  construction  may  be  greatly  lessened  in  expense 
by  a  more  saving  use  of  materials.  The  floors,  instead  of  being 
laid  upon  joists  at  right  angles  to  their  bearing,  will  be  equally 
strong  and  require  far  less  timber  if  supported  by  diagonal 
bearers  laid  from  corner  to  corner,  intersected  again  by  similar 
bearers  from  the  centre  of  each  side  where  the  size  of  the  room 
requires.  The  diagonal  principle  of  construction  so  beautifully 


262  RURAL    HOMES. 

and  advantageously  adopted  in  the  frame  bridges  of  this  country, 
might  with  great  benefit  be  incorporated  by  carpenters  into  their 
partitions  and  frames,  and  with  the  scientific  reasons  that  exist 
for  the  change  in  principle  and  the  ecomonic  arguments  of 
lessened  cost,  it  is  strange  that  as  yet  no  steps  have  been  taken 
to  investigate  the  advantages  diagonal  bearing  would  secure. 
In  the  railroad  bridges  designed  and  patented  by  T.  Willis 
Pratt,  this  principle  has  been  recognised,  and  the  saving  in 
weight  and  material  thereby  effected  is  so  considerable,  it 
becomes  a  matter  of  regret  that  engineers  have  not  been 
encouraged  to  attempt  the  elucidation  of  a  new  system  of  framing 
in  general  carpentry. 


CHAPTEE  XYI. 

BURAL  ARCHITECTURE  AS    A   FINE  ART ITS    INFLUENCE    ON  THE 

MIND,    HEART,    AND    SOCIAL    VIRTUES WHAT     AN     AMERICAN 

VILLAGE  MIGHT  BE CONCLUSION. 

CONSTRUCTIVE  skill  in  building  and  ingenious  adaptation  of 
mechanical  contrivances  to  meet  the  wants  of  domestic  life,  are  the 
grand  distinctive  excellencies  of  this  age  ;  in  no  period  of  artistic 
history  have  we  evidences  of  construction  being  so  well  under 
stood,  or  of  the  use  of  materials  so  various  and  so  scientifically 
adapted  to  their  several  purposes,  as  at  the  present  time.  It  is 
the  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  design — the  art  of  archi 
tecture — that  seems  wanting;  and  now  that  I  have  given 
examples  of  its  application,  there  appears  to  me  a  fitting  oppor 
tunity  before  bidding  the  reader  farewell,  of  offering  a  few 
remarks  upon  the  principles  upon  which  architectural  beauty 
depends,  and  in  so  doing,  necessarily  to  recapitulate  much  of 
what  I  have  previously  observed. 

Lovers  of  ancient  art  claim  for  it  a  superiority  in  effect  upon 
the  mind  of  the  beholder,  and  a  sublimity  beyond  the  reach  of 
modern  effort.  This  must  be  granted  them  by  all  who  have 


264  RURAL    HOMES. 

studied  the  wonderful  conceptions  of  the  giant  imaginings  of  old, 
but  at  this  point  the  superiority  ends,  for  the  genius  of  the 
present  day  is  as  far  beyond  that  of  the  " golden  past"  in, 
mechanical  appliances  and  constructive  skill,  as  progress  in  well 
doing  could  have  made  it.  But  the  said  lovers  claim  a  supe 
riority  often  for  constructive 'skill  also, — pointing  to  the  Pyramids 
and  the  Pronaoi  of  Egypt  as  structures  beyond  the  building 
resources  of  the  present  day — how  absurdly  this  claim  must 
appear,  when  with  these  certainly  stupendous  works  are  con 
trasted  the  lofty,  airy  pinnacles  of  the  late  Christian  spire,  or  the 
still  more  modern  aqueducts,  bridges,  tunnels,  docks,  and  every 
useful  and  vast  erection  of  this  present  flourishing  age  of  com 
merce  !  The  Greeks  and  Romans  had  but  little  knowledge  of 
carpentry  or  joinery  in  the  present  sense  of  the  words ;  of  this 
we  have  constant  proof  in  the  vestiges  of  their  building  left ;  for 
example,  in  the  frequent  use  of  brick  arches  where  wooden  con 
structions  would  have  been  much  better.  Even  the  middle  age 
architects,  skilful  as  they  were,  had  but  little  theoretical  know 
ledge,  and  but  small  amount  of  skill  in  delicate  constructive 
operations,  (as  in  joinery,  for  instance,)  and  certainly  could  not 
have  built  many  of  the  great  works  of  modern  times,  even  had 
they  possessed  the  materials.  But  with  all  this  they  attained 
effects  we  with  all  our  advanced  skill  and  mechanical  means 
cannot  reach.  A  simple  ruin,  merely — apart  from  its  influences 
derived  from  suggestive  associations — has  power  to  fill  the  mind 
even  of  the  most  callous  with  emotion.  The  wrecks  of  ancient 
splendor  saved  from  the  waves  of  time  at  Karnak  and  at  Luksor, 
in  their  crumbling,  perishing  grandeur,  have  a  sublimity  no 
modern  structure  can  present ;  and  yet  four  thousand  years  have 
rolled  on  and  accumulated  treasures  of  skill  and  learning — all 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE  AS  A  FINE  ART        265 

too  powerless  to  frame  one  such  building  as  the  forgotten,  almost 
exterminated  Egyptians,  reared  in  boundless  profusion. 

What  the  conclusion  ? — That  architecture,  as  a  fine  art,  was 
better  understood  then  than  now  ! 

Again,  where  have  we  traces  in  modern  buildings  of  the 
majestic  simplicity  and  perfect  refinement  of  the  fanes  of 
Greece  ?  Those  glorious  embodiments  of  everything  grand  and 
beautiful  in  design,  and  harmonious  and  delicate  in  detail ;  where, 
even  after  the  perfect  building  had  been  elaborated  into  the  most 
exquisite  completeness  ingenuity  and  artistic  handicraft  could 
effect,  the  optical  deceptions  of  distance  were  corrected,  and  the 
entasis  of  the  column  given  it,  to  produce  an  effect  of  graceful 
and  perfect  diminution  to  the  eye  which  before  it  did  to  the 
scale ;  the  leading  lines  of  mouldings  were  gone  over  again  to 
secure  the  same  result,  and  so  careful  was  the  scrutiny  that 
would  leave  no  minutiae  of  detail  untouched,  that  such  exquisite 
manoeuvres  were  practised  as  at  the  Temple  of  Minerva,  in 
which  the  lions'  heads  terminating  the  enrichment  of  the  pedi 
ment  are  turned  slightly  outwards,  so  that  cutting  against  the 
clear  sky  instead  of  being  in  relief  against  the  mass  of  shadowed 
moulding  behind,  they  might  not  appear  to  recede  from  the 
plane  they  occupied  elsewhere.  These  perfecting  touches  given 
too,  only  when  the  building  had  been  deemed  complete  (as  the 
researches  of  all  travellers  have  shown),  evince  a"  refinement 
which  can  only  be  traced  to  the  finest  taste  guided  by  the  most 
matured  judgment.  Perhaps  this  may  assist  'in  explaining  why 
modern  copies  of  ancient  art  as  seen  in  public  buildings  scat 
tered  all  over  the  country,  appear  so  frigid.  The  parts  and 
proportions  may  be  classically  correct  (they  not  often  are),  but 
the  evidence  of  the  want  of  careful,  final  scrutiny  is  very  apparent. 
12 


266  RURAL    HOMES. 

It  may,  however,  be  said  that  all  such  refinements  fire  only 
useful  where  the  design  is  in  every  other  respect  complete.  It  is 
the  last  masterstroke  upon  a  perfect  work. 

Where  amongst  modern  imitations  can  be  discovered  a  Gothic 
edifice  approaching  in  graceful  outline,  harmony  of  purpose,  and 
perfection  of  detail,  the  almost  inspired  structures  of  old  !  Where 
an  interior  like  Lincoln,  so  gloriously  replete  with  unearthly 
beauty  as  to  be  called  (more  from  that  cause  than  from  the 
enshrined  sculpturings  within)  the  Angels  Choir.  Where 
amongst  the  multitude  of  this  age's  attempts  can  be  found  the 
faintest  approach  to  the  matchless  proportions  of  Old  England's 
noblest  prize — the  Abbey  Church  of  Westminster  ?  Where  in 
any  modern  building  are  evidences  of  architectural  genius  and 
forethought  like  such  as  can  be  seen  evinced  in  every  part  of 
this  majestic  abbey  ?  I  will  give  an  instance  that  will  prove  how 
carefully  art  was  brought  into  play  then  to  produce  an  effect 
which  we,  with  all  our  improved  appliances,  would  be  slow  to 
bring  about  now.  The  stone  shafts  which  run  up  from  the  floor 
against  the  walls  to  support  the  ribs  of  the  roof  above,  are  com 
posed  of  two  small  ones  next  the  wall,  and  one  larger  one  in 
front,  clustered  together,  and  united  top  and  bottom  by  con 
tinuously  foliated  cap  and  moulded  base.  Why  was  this 
arrangement  of  triple,  engaged  columns  necessary  ?  The  object 
to  be  attained  by  the  shaft  itself  was  to  bring  down  the  line 
formed  by  the  ribs  of  the  roof  to  the  floor  and  so  to  connect  them 
therewith  (for  connection  of  parts  is  an  important  element  of 
beauty),  and  give  greater  apparent  support  to  the  roof.  This 
could  only  harmoniously  be  accomplished  by  a  column  propor 
tioned  to  the  size  of  the  rib ;  but  had  it  been  but  one  shaft  only, 
its  large  size  would  have  struck  the  eye  too  violently  as  a  single 


RURAL   ARCHITECTURE    AS    A    FINE    ART.  267 

object.  To  avoid  this,  it  was  necessary  to  break  it  up ;  two 
columns  together  of  the  same  size  would  have  looked  flat,  and 
the  rib  moulded  to  agree  with  them  would  have  had  the  effect 
of  a  band ;  three  all  of  the  same  size  would  have  still  farther 
increased  the  difficulty ;  but  by  using  one  shaft  large  and  bold 
enough  to  bring  the  line  down  and  gather  the  irregular  mould 
ings  of  the  rib  together,  concentrating  them,  as  it  were,  into 
one  regular  and  consolidated  mass ;  and  at  its  side  two  smaller 
ones  to  connect  this  larger  one  with  the  wall,  all  is  accomplished 
with  the  most  perfect  art.  This  fine,  perfected  conception  of 
the  beautiful  is  not  interfered  with  by  the  horizontal  string 
course  which  runs  all  round  the  building  immediately  under  the 
triforium,  and  which  no  doubt,  in  more  vulgar  hands,  would 
have  either  been  broken  around  each  member  of  the  clustered 
shaft,  and  thus  have  cut  its  entire  height  in  two,  or  else 
have  been  stopped  against  it,  and  so  have  weakened  the 
whole  effect  by  depriving  apparently  the  more  slender  shafts 
of  all  connection  with  the  wall.  The  consummately  skilful 
architect  attained  his  object  by  stopping  the  string-course  at 
the  smaller  columns,  but  carrying  it  round  the  larger  one, 
and  thus  gave  the  connection  with  the  wall,  banded  all  to 
gether,  and  achieved  the  accomplishment  of  a  difficult  pro 
blem  in  the  most  perfect  way.  This  unrivalled  structure,  I 
indeed,  teems  with  such  instances,  and  it  is  by  this  extreme  .' 
delicacy  of  perception  which  constitutes  architectural  genius,  that 
the  claims  of  superiority  of  ancient  art  can  best  be  supported, 
and  the  insensibility  to  which  draws  the  impassable  line  between 
the  efforts  of  mere  talent  and  the  consolidated,  never- wavering 
attention  which  marked  the  unrivalled  works  of  the  great  masters 
of  olden  art. 


268  RURAL    HOMES. 

In  fairness,  however,  one  great  cause  of  the  inferiority  in  effect 
of  modern  buildings  may  be  attributed  to  the  inartistic  treatment 
of  the  decorative  parts.  No  mere  workman  can  carve  a  capital 
or  a  string  of  flowers,  any  more  than  a  mere  workman  can  paint 
a  picture  or  sculpture  a  statue.  Once  mighty  artists  thought  it 
not  beneath  them  to  attend  to  such  details  ;  and  surely  when 
Grinling  Gibbons  chiselled ;  when  a  Royal  Academician  climbed 
the  scaffolding,  and  carved  the  keystones  at  Somerset  House ; 
and  when  Lorenzo  Ghiberti  sculptured  and  Raphael  drew,  none 
need  now  be  ashamed,  however  high  their  talents  may  have 
placed  them  on  the  artist-pedestal,  to  do  likewise.  But  mere 
beauty  of  workmanship  again,  and  delicacy  of  detail,  are  not  the 
only  excellences  wanting  to  produce  a  perfect  modern  work ; 
Thorn  carved  with  most  exquisite  feeling  and  wonderful  skill  a 
Christian  temple  in  modern  New  York,  and  yet  even  he  could  not 
by  his  matchless  labors  more  than  enrich.  The  meed  of  praise  that 
posterity  will  assign  to  Trinity  Church  will  be  dealt  out  by  the 
effect  created  by  its  outlines,  and  if  they  produce  not  the  im 
pression  of  beauty  and  sublimity,  the  worker  will  only  be  pitied 
for  having  had  a  lifeless,  expressionless  statue  to  adorn,  instead 
of  a  soul-filled  creation. 

I  could  multiply  instances,  derived  not  merely  from  the  larger 
and  public  buildings,  but  from  the  domestic  architecture  (of 
which  we  have  memorials  as  distinct) ;  but  I  have  said  enough 
to  make  good  the  conclusion  before  arrived  at — that  architec 
ture,  as  a  fine  art,  was  better  understood  once,  than  now.  Yet 
we  have  constructive  superiority  on  our  side  ;  we  have  better 
tools  to  work  with ;  more  varied  materials ;  scientific  and 
reliable  calculations  upon  which  to  base  their  proportions  for 
purposes  of  strength  and  resistance,  and  the  examples  of  by-gone 


RURAL    ARCHITECTURE    AS    A    FINE    ART.  269 

beauty  to  work  upon — surely,  with  all  these  advantages,  it 
cannot  be  that  the  dawn  of  a  better  intelligence  will  be  long 
withheld !  My  sincere  hope  and  firm  belief,  as  I  have  before 
said,  are  in  rural  architecture  proving  the  leading  step  to  an 
eminence  of  artistic  success  presently  to  be  reached,  as  glorious 
and  as  grand  as  that  of  any  now  inapproachable  epoch  of  the  past. 
In  olden  times,  those  great  results  that  now  fill  the  world  with 
admiring  wonder,  were  brought  about  by  concentrated  expres 
sion  of  the  pervading  sentiment;  the  genius  of  the  people 
stamped  its  impress  upon  the  productions  of  the  age.  All  know 
what  the  religious  sentiment  of  the  middle  ages  has  achieved. 
The  analytical  sentiment  of  this  age  will,  before  very  long,  lead 
it  to  reject  all  that  has  not  a  purpose  and  a  use — a  purpose 
of  utility,  a  use  in  aiding  harmony  of  effect ;  beauty  only  will  be 
valued — it  will  only  be  considered  as  such  when  so  produced, 
and  out  of  this  sturdy  determination  to  throw  aside  all  not 
marking  a  meaning  and  intention,  will  result  a  grand,  united, 
all-pervading  influence,  which  at  no  very  distant  time  will 
develope  itself  into  a  form  and  style.  How — the  Giver  of 
Genius  best  can  show !  But  it  will  come,  depend  upon  it ;  nor 
will  silly,  tricksied  imitations,  and  obstinate  adherence  to  un 
meaning  forms,  long  delay  it. 

A  work  of  rural  art,  whether  a  simple  little  cottage,  or  a 
wealthy  family's  homestead,  as  an  object  of  beauty  is  susceptible 
of  three  degrees  of  appreciation — the  simple,  the  suggestive,  and 
the  intellectual.  These  three  degrees  are  synonymous  with  the 
admirable  definitions  of  Mr.  Ruskin  in  the  "  Modern  Painters," 
and  there  classed  as  capable  of  suggesting  ideas  of  natural 
beauty,  of  relation,  and  of  power.  Simple  beauty  is  the  effect 

of  the  object  per  se  upon  the  mind  of  the  spectator,  without  any 

v. 


270  RURAL   HOMES. 

reference  to  its  destination,  utility,  or  other  extrinsic  quality ; 
suggestive,  when  to  this  is  added  an  evident  appropriateness  to 
the  object  for  which  it  was  built,  suggesting  its  purposes  and  its 
use  ;  the  intellectual,  when  to  these  two  degrees  is  superadded 
an  evidence  of  skill  and  power  in  the  legitimate  use  of  materials 
or  application  of  principles  of  construction  to  attain  the  desired 
end  by  the  conquering  of  some  accidental  difficulty.  I  will  give 
an  instance  of  the  application  of  these  degrees  of  appreciation. 
Take  a  common  stone  building,  say,  for  example,  the  parsonage 
design  in  this  book  ;  the  outlines  of  the  building  are  pleasing, 
its  proportions  harmonious,  and  its  contemplation  would  give  an 
emotion  of  simple  satisfaction  to  the  beholder ;  ask  him  why  ? 
lie  would  say  it  pleased  him,  or  filled  his  eye,  or  use  some  such 
phrase  that  showed  merely  its  natural  beauty,  its  beauty  per  se, 
had  been  appreciated.  If,  however,  he  replied,  that  its  beauty 
pleased  him  because  he  deemed  the  building  appropriate  to  its 
purpose,  that  its  character  harmonized  with  that  of  the  adjacent 
church,  that  its  open,  roomy  porch  gave  evidence  of  ready  recep 
tion  and  cheerful  hospitality  within,  and  its  secluded  study  and 
separated  entrance  told  to  him  the  tale  of  its  two-fold  nature  and 
purpose  of  habitancy  ;  then  the  sentiment  had  been  increased  to 
an  appreciation  of  suggestive  beauty.  If  still  farther  to  all  this 
was  lidded  the  reply,  that  it  pleased  because  he  thought  the 
material  had  been  appropriately  used,  and  it  looked  real,  honest, 
and  enduring;  or  he  admired  the  skill  with  which  the  out 
lines  of  the  parts  had  been  marked  by  the  blocked  stone  quoins 
and  masonry  round  the  windows,  and  the  simplicity  that  had 
preserved  the  natural  treatment  of  the  general  walling,  which, 
by  its  unobtrusive  character,  served  as  a  background  on  which 
the  dressed  work  showed  so  advantageously ;  then  the  appre'cia- 


RURAL    ARCHITECTURE    AS    A    FINE    ART.  271 

tion  has  mounted  to  the  highest  degree,  and  the  sentiment  of 
intellectual  perception  been  awakened. 

Limits  far  transcending  those  now  left  me  would  be  required 
to  follow  out  these  general  principles.  I  can  here  do  no 
more  than  state  'their  existence  and  define  their  meaning. 

But  I  can  fancy  some  reader  to  exclaim,  tastes  are  so  various ; 
who  is  to  define  in  the  first  place  in  what  simple,  or  as  you  call 
it,  natural  beauty,  consists  ?  That  tastes  are  so  various,  I,  of 
course,  do  not  deny — their  very  variety  has  originated  a  proverb, 
and  yet,  though  it  may  seem  a  paradox,  this  very  variety  is  an 
evidence  of  the  truth. 

In  almost  every  object  that  can  be  contemplated,  there  must 
exist  some  beauty  that  will  produce  pleasure,  so,  for  the  variety 
of  tastes  to  be  influenced  by  it,  some  food  can  be  found  to  satisfy 
the  cravings  more  or  less  urgent  of  human  inner  perception  of 
the  beautiful.  Whether  all  its  beauties,  or  whether  the  particu 
lar  beauties  that  render  it  perfect,  have  been  appreciated,  is  not 
the  question ;  it  may  be  even,  that  those  be  admired  which  in 
themselves  are  beautiful,  but  lose  their  charm  by  wrong  appli 
cation  in  this  individual  instance ;  even  then  this  is  but  an 
evidence  of  taste  perverted ;  the  innate  perception  is  there,  but 
the  knowledge  to  apply  it  has  not  come. 

Taste  is  like  conscience ;  all  have  it ;  but  they  may  blunt  it ; 
drown  its  voice,  and  finally  so  deaden  themselves  to  its  power  as 
to  pervert  its  warnings  and  warp  its  influence;  it  becomes 
strengthened  by  use,  and  the  more  it  is  listened  to,  the  stronger 
and  more  correct  it  will  become,  so  as  finally  to  be  to  the  heart 
what  the  sound  judgment  is  to  the  mind.  I  have  shown  that 
degrees  of  beauty  can  be  estimated ;  in  them  is  evidence  of 
degrees  of  taste,  and,  not  forgetting  that  by  education  and  im- 


272  RURAL    HOMES. 

portant  refinement  the  dictates  of  taste  will  be  increased  in 
power,  in  fine,  that  much  talked  of,  but  to  me  almost  unintelli 
gible  phrase — "  a  standard  of  taste,"  will  have  a  realization. 
Undoubtedly  there  exists  a  rule  or  standard  in  nature  for  trying 
individual  tastes  as  there  is  for  testing  morals,  and  my  comfort 
is,  that  after  a  time  the  search,  however  seemingly  fruitless  now, 
must  be  eventually  successful. 

Let  me  quote  a  page  from  Lord  Kaimes'  "  Elements  of 
Criticism"  : — "  That  there  is  no  disputing  about  taste,  seems  to 
have  grown  into  a  proverb.  One  thing,  however,  is  evident,  that 
if  the  proverb  hold  true  with  respect  to  taste  in  matters  of  art,  it 
must  hold  equally  true  with  respect  to  other  senses.  If  the 
pleasures  to  be  derived  from  seeing  works  of  art  disdain  a  com 
parative  trial  and  reject  all  criticism,  then  the  pleasure  to  be 
derived  from  the  sense  of  hearing  must  be  equally  privileged. 
At  this  rate,  no  one  is  within  the  reach  of  censure  who  shall 
prefer  the  beating  of  a  kettle  to  the  finest  concert. 

"  And  if  thus  all  the  pleasures  of  external  sense  be  exempted 
from  criticism,  there  would  seern  to  be  no  reason  why  eveiy  one 
of  our  pleasures,  from  whatever  source  derived,  should  not  be  so ; 
and  that  with  respect  to  the  perceptions  of  sense  by  which  some 
objects  appear  agreeable  and  some  disagreeable,  there  does  not 
exist  such  a  thing  as  a  good  or  bad,  a  right  or  wrong — that 
every  one's  taste  is  to  himself  an  ultimate  standard,  without 
appeal ;  and  consequently,  there  can  be  no  ground  of  censure 
against  any  one,  if  such  there  be,  who  prefers  selfishness  to  bene 
volence,  or  wrong,  for  its  own  sake,  to  right. 

"  But  to  ascertain  the  rules  of  morality,  we  appeal  not  to  the 
common-sense  of  savages,  but  to  that  of  men  in  their  more 
perfect  state  ;  and  we  make  the  same  appeal  in  forming  the  rules 


• 

RURAL   ARCHITECTURE    AS    A    FINE    ART.  273 

that  ought  to  govern  the  fine  arts.  In  neither  can  we  safely 
rely  on  a  local  or  transitory  taste,  but  on  that  which  is  the  most 
general  and  the  most  lasting  among  polite  nations.  For,  if  we 
have  recourse  to  general  opinion  and  general  practice,  we  are 
betrayed  into  endless  perplexities.  History  shows  that  there  is 
nothing  more  variable  than  taste  in  the  fine  arts." 

The  expression  of  common  taste  must  be  govered  by  common 
sense,  and  a  work  of  art  must  be  susceptible  to  rules  of  criticism. 
Nature  has  general  laws,  so  has  art — such,  apart  from  their  im 
portance,  are  delightful  from  their  simplicity,  and  by  reason  of  the 
boundless  applicability  of  their  influence.  Nature's  laws  we 
partly  know ;  those  of  art  unfortunately  we  have  but  framed 
into'a  skeleton  code  ;  but  of  rural  architecture,  the  most  binding 
art  can  teach,  are  reality,  intention,  and  harmony.  Reality,  in 
the  honest,  simple  use  of  materials  and  construction  to  effect  the 
desired  end  ;  intention,  in  showing  evident  design  and  connection 
between  the  building  and  its  planned  purpose ;  and  harmony 
with  Nature's  aspect  and  with  the  spirit  of  the  place. 

The  influence  that  buildings  so  devised  would  have  in  educat 
ing  public  taste  is  incalculable.  Scarcely  a  rural  hamlet,  where 
one  house  evincing  some  care  in  its  design  and  treatment  has 
been  newly  built,  but  its  effect  upon  subsequent  erections  has 
been  most  marked.  First  one  neighbor,  then  another,  has 
discovered  his  own  homestead  requires  refreshing;  perhaps, 
merely  to  the  extent  of  fresh  painting,  and  a  new  roof ;  ideas 
for  both  of  these  are  taken  from  the  new  model,  and  it  may  be 
somewhat  ludicrously  and  inconsistently  applied.  Then  another 
resident  determines  to  rebuild,  and  his  own  experiences  being 
enlarged,  and  a  higher  standard  of  taste  erected  for  measuring 
his  ideas  of  excellence,  a  very  different  structure  is  probably  con- 
12* 


274  RURAL    HOMES. 

templated  than  lie  would  ever  have  thought  of  at  first.  It  is 
curious  to  see  how  any  peculiarly  marked  features,  or  unusual 
details,  are  renewed  in  each  fresh  copy  from  the  first  new  house 
that  is  built  in  a  manner  different  from  those  usually  seen  in  any 
small  rural  community.  This  remark  equally  will  apply  to  the 
buildings  of  the  middle  ages,  it  generally  being  the  fact  that 
ecclesiastical  architecture,  when  in  its  most  glorious  growth, 
developed  itself  alike  all  over  a  certain  range,  the  mother  church 
of  the  diocese  almost  universally  serving  as  the  type  for  the 
lesser  buildings.  Hence  the  gathered  beauties  of  delicate  spires 
in  one  county  of  England,  and  the  quaint  and  battlemented 
towers  of  another ;  so,  everywhere  it  seems,  that  the  first  pre 
sentation  of  any  thing  simply  beautiful  to  the  rural  public,  is 
instantly  seized  upon,  and  reconstructed  in  as  varied  ways  as 
individual  appreciation,  circumstances,  and  means  suggested. 
How  careful  then  should  those  persons  be  who  first  attempt 
the  introduction  of  an  article  of  taste  in  a  remote  and  simple 
district. 

Apart  from  the  increased  beauty  in  the  appearance  of  the 
country,  there  are  other  grounds  for  the  advocacy  of  attention 
to  its  architecture.  It  is  found  that  elevation  in  the  social  scale 
is  commensurate  with  increased  elevation  in  taste.  Political 
economists  have  found  in  England,  where  the  experiment  has 
principally  been  tried,  that  the  erection  of  commodious,  and  even 
elegant  cottages  for  the  country  poor,  has  been  followed  by  the 
most  beneficial  results.  The  laboring  man  that  once  found  the 
ale-house  the  only  comfortable  roof  under  which  he  could  rest 
his  tired  limbs  after  a  hard  day's  work,  driven  from  his  own 
home  by  its  squalor,  its  wretchedness,  and  miserable  paucity  of 
even  the  rudest  necessaries  of  life — in  his  warm  and  convenient 


RURAL   ARCHITECTURE    AS    A    FINE    ART.  275 

newly  contrived  cottage,  finds  a  more  airy  and  more  cheerful 
room,  and  in  the  cleanly  appearance  of  his  wife  and  children, 
their  happy  labors  and  busy  housewifery,  a  far  pleasanter  relax 
ation  than  the  tap-room,  reeking  with  the  tobacco  smoke  of 
generation  upon  generation,  could  afford.  He  consequently 
spends  his  leisure  hours  at  home,  and  naturally  his  thoughts 
dwell  there  with  satisfaction  during  his  labor-day  ;  he  contrives 
how  this  and  that  little  improvement  or  additional  comfort  can 
be  made ;  digs  out  his  garden,  and  prides  himself  on  its  early  , 
promise  of  fruits  and  flowers.  His  children  help  him,  and  the 
man  that  in  the  rude  hovel  was  assuredly  striding  his  way  to 
crime  and  misery,  in  the  cheerful  cottage  is,  step  by  step, 
mounting  upwards  in  the  scale  of  social  worth.  Thorough  ; 
investigations  by  interested  philanthropists  have  shown,  in  every 
instance  where  this  has  been  tried,  that  the  fruit  has  been  one 
of  promise ;  if  so  with  the  ignorant  (comparatively),  boorish  day- 
laborers  of  agricultural  England,  how  much  greater  will  be  the 
yield  in  the  more  intellectually  fertile  condition  of  the  rural 
population  here  ? 

Common  schools,  improved  means,  a  cheaper  literature, 
unshackled  freedom  for  acquirement  of  knowledge  and  advance 
ment  in  position — all  these  are  weighty  advantages  on  the  side 
of  this  people ;  and  working  on  a  better  intelligence  and  appre 
ciation,  the  benefit  to  be  derived  will  be  incalculably  greater. 
Every  heart  is  more  or  less  alive  to  the  impressions  of  beauty — 
when  joined  with  utility  it  has  an  irresistible  appeal,  and  it  is 
not  unfair  to  suppose  that  in  the  country,  with  Nature's  simple 
or  grand  beauties  scattered  everywhere  for  contemplation,  a 
more  ready  perception  and  appreciation  may  be  counted  upon 
than  in  cities.  This  may  not  everywhere  be  the  case,  but  as  a 


276  RURAL    HOMES. 

general  rule  it  probably  is ;  and  at  all  events,  in  the  country, 
there  being  less  to  distract,  the  quiet,  unobtrusive  lessons  of  con 
structive  beauty  cannot  fail  to  work  a  quicker  way. 

But,  not  only  cottages  and  cottagers  are  to  be  thus  benefited  ; 
the  country  man-of-wealth,  the  professional  man,  the  merchant, 
and  the  parson — all  may  be  made  wiser  and  better.  "  Sermons 
in  stones,"  I  have  always  read  with  its  liberal  meaning,  and 
think  an  architect  has  a  great  and  noble  privilege  in  his  power 
to  preach  by  his  works  lessons  of  refinement,  harmony,  and 
beauty.  The  pertinacity  with  which  every  newly  built  house, 
if  in  any  respect  out  of  the  common  way,  is  discussed,  the 
curiosity  shown  by  the  strollers  around  it  during  the  progress  of 
the  works,  and  very  speedily  the  avidity  with  which  any  scrap 
or  morsel  of  peculiar  detail  is  seized  upon  and  copied,  are  proofs 
of  the  awakened  interest  it  excites.  When  the  finished  whole 
stands  fair  and  full  before  them,  many  a  pilgrimage  is  made 
from  some  distant  spot  to  contemplate  its  finish  and  proportions, 
and  its  beauties  sink  into  no  unfertile  soil.  And  how  with  its 
occupants  ?  j  The  teaching  influence  soon  shows  its  effects.  The 
furniture,  the  internal  plenishing  and  details  take  a  tone  from 
the  dwelling.  Articles  in  improved  taste  are  demanded  from 
the  country  store,  or  perhaps  sent  for  from  the  distant  city. 
There  are  some  inquired  for  by  others,  and  the  building  of  one 
moderately  good  house  (good  in  artistic  sense)  will  often 
occasion  the  introduction  of  a  thousand  commodities  of  a  better 
taste  into  a  rural  community,  j  Perhaps  the  house  has  a  quiet 
simplicity  about  it  that  shames  the  lovers  of  gaudy  carpeting 
and  showy  upholstery  into  a  better  taste ;  perhaps  its  arrange 
ment  of  rooms  suggests  an  amended  and  more  refined  adjust 
ment  of  domestic  economy  ;  a  little  plant  cabinet  has  perhaps 


RURAL    ARCHITECTURE    AS    A    FINE    ART.  277 

forced  the  love  and  attention  necessary  for  the  culture  of  a  few 
flowers  ;  a  retired,  quiet,  little  book-room,  if  merely,  perhaps,  from 
the  pleasant  view  commanded  by  its  windows,  has  tempted 
occupancy  in  an  unbusy  hour,  and  the  mind,  calm  and  unhin 
dered  by  household  cares,  has  found  leisure  to  strengthen  itself 
by  inward  contemplation  or  the  study  of  books.  Numberless 
are  the  methods  by  which  this  wholesome  influence  will  work — 
lasting  and  limitless  are  its  effects.  The  young  girl  that,  finding 
no  intrinsic  pleasure  at  home,  nor  regarding  it  otherwise  than  as 
the  sphere  of  her  domestic  duties,  would  seek  away  from  its 
shelter,  and  with  other  companions,  other  than  "  those  of  the 
household,"  pleasures  and  excitements  neither  so  wholesome  nor 
refining  as  a  fond  parent  could  wish,  would,  in  a  rural  home, 
find  so  much  to  attach  her  heart  and  give  food  to  her  mind, 
that  the  inducement  to  wander  from  it  would  have  but  little 
allurement.  Young  ladies,  do  not  suppose  that  I  insist  you  are 
naturally  all  gad-abouts — I  only  plead  (and  for  this  you  should 
thank  me)  for  making  your  homes  pleasant  and  beautiful. 

It  has  often  seemed  to  me  a  matter  of  regret  that  country 
school-houses  are  not  more  generally  made  prettier  objects. 
Rude,  often  incommodious,  and  generally  situated  in  by  no 
means  a  pleasant  site,  they  have  only  their  admirable  intention 
to  recommend  them.  With  the  number  of  books  that  have 
from  time  to  time  appeared  on  school  architecture,  one  would 
have  thought  ere  this  that  some  more  matured  fruit  would  have 
been  seen,  but  yet  ever-present  stands  the  bald,  white,  pedi- 
mented  out-building,  without  porch,  veranda,  or  inclosure  of  any 
kind ;  severe  temples  of  learning  to  the  little  scholar,  when  they 
might  be  cheerful,  smiling  homes  of  the  heart !  But  time,  the 
great  essential,  is  the  only  commodity  wanted  by  the  people  of 


278  RURAL    HOMES. 

this  country  to  do  this  and  many  good  things ;  in  the  course  of 
a  few  years  the  lessons  they  are  teaching  themselves  will  be 
fully  learnt,  and  then  the  importance  of  rural  architecture  as  an 
art,  and  its  influence  on  mind  and  manners  will  be  fully  seen  and 
acted  on. 

One  remark  of  present  and  almost  universal  application  I 
would  wish  to  make,  is  on  the  too  little  care  that  is  shown 
towards  the  preservation  of  forest  trees.  Many  country  places 
that  now  look  flat,  uninteresting,  and  bare,  would,  if  Nature's 
leafy  treasures  had  been  preserved,  have  been  beautiful  and  rich. 
Its  groves,  its  hedges,  and  shaded  lanes,  constitute  the  rural 
charms  of  England ;  there  the  storm-worn  memorials  of  the 
past  are  cultured,  propped  up,  and  cared  for  with  as  sedulous 
pains  as  the  ruthless  devastation  with  which  the  prodigal, 
strengthy  giants  of  younger  growth  are  here  hewn  away,  and 
burned  up,  and  rooted  out.  The  inconsistency  with  which  this 
is  done  is  sometimes  almost  amusing,  it  being  no  uncommon 
thing  to  find  some  noble  old  elm  cut  low,  and  presently  stuck 
out  in  front  of  the  dwelling  in  formal  soldier-like  line,  a  row  of 
saplings  as  stiff  and  shadeless  as  bean-poles.  The  "  woodman, 
spare  that  tree"  of  the  song-bard  of  America  should  be  graven 
on  every  wall  of  a  country  house,  or  set  up  in  public  places 
where  "  he  that  runs  may  read." 

The  love  of  trees  is  a  mark  of  a  good  and  healthy  taste ;  he 
who  chooses  his  building  plot  by  a  preference  for  the  trees  that 
surround  and  adorn  it,  may  very  safely  be  trusted  with  the 
expression  of  his  fancy  in  a  house.  The  beauty  of  trees  is  in 
their  simplicity,  and  this  in  a  house  is  the  chief  and  highest 
charm.  Frequently  a  beautiful  home  may  be  formed  by  a 
building  of  most  modest  size  and  pretensions,  economically,  nay, 


RURAL   ARCHITECTURE    AS   A    FINE   ART.  279 

even  severely  built,  nothing  more  done  than  necessity  absolutely 
requires,  and  that  in  the  simplest  way — if  surrounded  by  trees  ; 
the  grandeur  and  variety  of  the  shade,  the  softened  outlines  of 
the  building,  and  the  partial  concealment  of  its  mass,  with  the 
ideas  of  retirement,  protection,  and  endurance  that  they  give, 
combine  to  throw  a  charm  about  the  place,  that  denuded  of 
trees,  a  costly  building  would  fail  to  impart.  Think  then  of  this 
before  destroying  a  tree,  or  neglecting  to  plant  one. 


The  study  of  rural  architecture  is  both  pleasant  and  implying. 
As  an  art,  it  is  susceptible  of  investigation  through  a  wide  range ; 
painting,  sculpture,  ethnology,  the  history  of  taste — all  these  are 
kindred  studies,  and  have  more  or  less  reference  to  the  principles, 
practice,  or  history  of  architecture.  Without  pursuimg  the 
mechanical  means  of  acquiring  a  practically  useful  knowledge,  so 
far  as  to  render  education  in  an  architect's  office  necessary,  the 
drawing  required  for  expression  of  the  design  is  both  easily 
learned  and  readily  done.  In  my  last  chapter  I  directed  the 
amateur  in  his  first  steps  towards  making  a  set  of  drawings,  and 
can  scarcely  recommend  him  a  pleasanter  amusement  for  an 
hour  of  leisure,  or  a  more  profitable  study  for  a  long  evening  or 
wet  morning,  than  endeavoring  to  elucidate  with  his  pencil, 
scale,  and  compasses,  the  designs  his  architectural  reading  has 
enabled  him  to  make.  As  a  branch  of  education  in  public  and 
private  schools,  as  a  mentally  healthy  and  interesting  pursuit  at 
home,  the  science  of  architecture,  theoretic  and  constructive, 
would  prove  very  valuable ;  it  has,  in  fact,  been  a  matter  of  sur 
prise  to  me  that  this,  one  of  the  most  practical  of  the  sciences, 


280  RURAL    HOMES. 

has  not  had  its  professors  in  the  larger  colleges,  and  its  teachers 
in  all  schools  of  any  merit.  As  a  fascinating  way  of  learning 
and  practically  applying  the  principles  of  geometry,  as  an 
incentive  to  improvement  under  the  drawing-master,  and  as  a 
pleasant  exercise  for  the  powers  of  calculation  and  ingenious 
contrivance,  a  more  desirable  study  could  not  be  found.  The 
love  of  beauty,  harmony,  and  proportion  would  thereby  be  fed, 
and  the  inborn  taste  fostered  and  refined,  nor  has  it  one  objec 
tionable  element — as  some  have  said  of  the  studies  of  painting 
and  music — that  would  tend  to  unhinge  or  sensualize  the  mind  ; 
the  union  of  the  practical  with  the  imaginative,  the  sound 
judgrient  with  the  correct  taste,  preserve  the  balance,  and  the 
young  mind  whose  perceptive  and  conceptive  faculties  were  thus 
equally  exercised,  would  acquire  a  strength  and  tone,  leaving  a 
character  invaluable  through  life.  Most  of  the  great  architects 
of  whom  history  has  left  any  records,  have  been  men  of  exem 
plary  lives,  and  nicely  balanced,  pure,  and  reflective  minds ; 
there  is  something  in  the  study  itself  only  appreciable  to  a 
simple  and  earnest  heart ;  it  is  not  sufficiently  sensual  for  the 
voluptuary,  nor  chimerical  for  the  speculative  imaginist ;  enough 
there  is  of  a  practical  business  in  its  details  to  curb  exuberant 
fancy,  and  enough  for  intellectual  exercise  and  refreshment. 

As  a  profession,  that  of  the  architect  is  a  noble  and  useful  one, 
and  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when  young  men  will  commence 
its  study,  and  diligently  investigate  the  principles  upon  which 
its  excellence  depends.  Heretofore,  too  generally,  it  has  been 
taken  up  as  a  mere  money-making  pursuit,  adapted  to  the  lazy 
and  the  visionary,  or  still  better  to  the  broken-down  carpenter, 
who,  finding  no  credit  to  carry  on  his  legitimate  business,  goes 
into  the  "  drafting  line"  as  he  calls  it,  and  in  his  own  language 


RURAL    ARCHITECTURE    AS    A    FINE    ART.  281 

becomes  an  "  archy-tect."  This  latter  class  are  greatly  patron 
ized  by  so  called  practical  men  ;  they  think  no  architect  can 
be  trusted  with  their  house  who  has  not  wielded  the  jack-plane, 
nor  should  they  consistently  read  any  author  who  does  not  set 
his  own  types.  Architects  undoubtedly  should  be  practical  men, 
that  is,  they  should  understand  the  whole  theoretic  practice  of 
masonry,  carpentry,  and  joinery,  and  be  able  to  direct  how  work 
is  to  be  done,  and  to  appreciate  it  when  done ;  farther  than  this 
is  neither  possible  nor  desirable.  They  should  be  familiar  with 
the  use  and  meaning  of  the  technical  terms  of  the  different 
trades,  so  as  to  be  easily  understood  by  workmen,  and  they 
would  find  it  to  their  advantage  occasionally  to  suggest  a 
different  way  of  doing  any  particular  work  in  which  theii 
experience  and  better  theoretic  knowledge  enable  them  to  point 
out  improvement.  This,  with  rapidity  in  making  a  clear,  com 
prehensive  working-drawing  of  any  detail  at  large  (if  possible, 
before  the  eyes  of  the  mechanic)  will,  with  a  presence  of  mind 
and  coolness  that  are  never  at  fault  when  any  question  or  diffi 
culty  arises,  inspire  the  workers  with  confidence,  and  greatly 
assist  the  designer  in  carrying  out  to  the  full,  the  spirit  of  his 
composition. 

The  rarest  excellence  of  the  artist  mind,  is  when  an  architect 
can  throw  himself  into  the  spirit  of  the  builder,  and  see  with  hia 
eyes,  and  reason  with  his  reasonings ;  then,  applying  his  own 
matured  judgment  and  foreseeing  experience  to  the  design,  ha 
will  be  able  to  work  out  a  composition  appropriate  and  satisfac 
tory  ;  he  should  be  able  to  identify  his  employer's  interest  with 
his  own,  to  be  tied  by  no  undue  pertinacity  in  favor  of  any- 
peculiar  designs,  unless  their  adoption  can  be  recommended  by 
reasons  so  in  accordance  with  common  sense  as  to  make  it  his 


282  RURAL    HOMES. 

duty,  as  much  as  may  be,  to  insist  upon  them.  Individuality  is 
as  much  exemplified  in  a  house  as  in  personal  character,  and  the 
architect's  highest  praise  will  be,  that  he  has  successfully  subli 
mated  and  embodied  the  peculiar  views,  habits  of  life,  or  circum 
stances  of  the  owner.  By  so  doing  he  will  avoid  mannerism, 
that  curse  of  art,  and  show  in  his  designs  a  power  and  curiously 
suggestive  variety  that  will  prevent  them  ever  being  common 
place  or  tame.  An  architect  of  once  considerable  repute  in 
England  found  it  so  entirely  impossible  to  avoid  the  constant 
recurrence  of  a  particular  style  in  all  his  buildings,  as  to  earn  the 
sobriquet  of  "  Ionic  Inwood ;"  in  fact,  it  is  said,  that  in  a 
Gothic  church  unfortunately  entrusted  to  him,  the  Ionic  Volute 
is  very  plainly  perceptible  in  more  than  one  of  its  details  !  Such 
mannerisms  are  common  enough  here ;  go  where  you  will  any 
where  within  fifty  miles  of  New  Haven,  and  you  see  houses, 
Gothic,  Moorish(I),  Italian,  or  Egyptian,  with  the  same  flat,  thin 
roofs  that  look  like  box-lids  shut  down — so  much  so,  as  fre 
quently  to  suggest  to  the  observer  a  search  for  the  hinges 
behind,  whilst  the  fanciful  garret  windows  in  front  not  inaptly 
represent  the  key-hole.  One  of  our  best  architects,  and  the  one 
who,  of  all  others,  has  had  the  largest  and  most  liberal  freedom 
for  the  expression  of  his  designs,  almost  always  makes  his 
churches  on  one  stereotyped  plan,  cruciform  and  with  a  broken- 
backed  roof.  A  church  in  the  form  of  a  cross  is  beautiful  in  its 
symbolism  and  grand  in  its  effect,  if  vast ;  but  on  a  small  scale, 
such  a  plan  is  unwarrantable,  and  if  selected  because  of  ancient 
precedent,  is  done  so  very  ignorantly ;  only  the  abbey  churches 
and  ecclesiastical  structures  of  the  very  largest  class  being  thus 
arranged. 

These  are  the  mannerisms  of  individuals ;  the  same  charge 


RURAL    ARCHITECTURE    AS    A    FINE    ART.  283 

can  be  brought  against  a  class.  Every  one  must  have  observed 
how  prone  country  people  are  to  copy  anything  their  neighbors 
have  done,  and  in  so  marked  an  object  as  a  new  house,  there  is, 
of  course,  abundant  opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  this  propen 
sity.  A  short  time  ago  it  was  universally  the  fashion  to  have 
!  columnar  porches  before  hall  doors — every  one  had  them,  and 
they  seemed  established  as  a  fixed  fact ;  then  wide  arches  on 
consoles  were  resorted  to,  and  almost  equally  in  vogue ;  then 
again,  every  thing  must  be  bracketted  and  richly  carved,  and 
frequently,  in  cities,  as  much  was  expended  over  the  door-steps 
as  would  have  sufficed  to  have  built  and  almost  furnished  a 
decent  house  in  the  country.  These  fashions  seem  to  have  gone 
by,  and  others,  like  the  changing  forms  and  colors  in  a  kaleido 
scope,  take  their  place.  In  country  places  the  feeling  is  still 
more  strong,  and  sometimes  ludicrously  evinced.  Eiding  round 
the  environs  of  Norwalk,  Connecticut,  I  was  amused  with  the 
frequent  recurrence  of  a  singularly  formed  attic  window  that 
looked  exactly  like  the  bows  of  a  pair  of  spectacles,  two  oblong 
windows  with  their  corners  truncated  being  placed  in  couples 
side  by  side.  I  remember  to  have  seen  in  London  at  the  civic 
celebration  of  a  royal  visit  to  the  powers  that  hold  control  in 
the  city  proper,  a  quaint  and  would-be- witty  device  these 
windows  recalled.  On  one  of  the  houses  (an  optician's)  was  a 
transparency,  consisting  of  a  gigantic  pair  of  spectacles,  and 
beneath,  the  words  "  a  grand"  in  large  letters,  reading  "  a  grand 
spectacle  ;  which  pretty  conceit  the  first  builders  of  these  houses 
must  have  read  of  or  seen — though,  whether  the  reading  of  tho 
hieroglyphic  thus  transported  here  was  meant  to  the  house  itself, 
or  any  peculiarity  of  its  inmates  within,  I  regret  not  to  be  able 
to  solve. 


284  RURAL    HOMES. 

Is  it  not  a  pity  that  drawing  is  not  more  strongly  insisted  on 
as  an  element  of  instruction  in  public  and  private  schools  ?  By 
it,  the  perceptive  faculty  would  be  strengthened,  and  whether  as 
a  means  of  pursuing  an  elegant  accomplishment,  or  as  an 
awakener  of  the  powers  of  more  accurately  appreciating  and 
comprehending  the  beautiful,  would  be  an  invaluable  acquire 
ment  in  after  life.  If  not  pursued  beyond  the  limits  of  the  class 
room  walls,  still  its  refining  influence  would  be  carried  into  every 
after  exercise  of  the  mind,  nor  even  would  the  merely  business 
man,  in  the  exercise  it  would  have  given  to  his  young  powers  of 
calculation  and  arrangement,  begrudge  the  time  spent  with  the 
drawing-master.  I  know  that  at  West  Point  it  is  considered, 
not  only  a  most  useful  and  advantageous  pursuit,  but  admirable 
mental  discipline,  and  the  artist-mind,  balanced  by  the  sterner 
studies  of  mathematics,  enlarged  and  made  analytical  by  the 
acquirement  of  languages  and  the  researches  of  history,  produces 
a  ripeness-  and  refined  elegance  of  scholarship  which  is  as  delight 
ful  as  it  is  valuable.  To  go  back  to  first  principles,  the  more 
extended  is  the  use  of  the  drawing-master  as  a  teacher  of  the 
young,  the  more  rapid  will  be  the  advancement  of  a  true  taste, 
and  consequently  of  a  higher  order  of  architecture. 

Simplicity,  as  a  source  of  architectural  beauty,  may  thus  be 
defined.  Its  dictionary  meaning  is  the  state  of  being  unmixed, 
of  not  being  complex,  or  of  consisting  of  a  few  parts.  This 
latter  definition  is  the  one  usually  applied  to  art,  but  it  has  not 
a  sufficiently  broad  bearing,  or  else  it  would  be  the  case  that  the 
smaller  the  number  of  parts,  the  greater  the  beauty.  Thus  a 
portico  of  six  columns  would  be  finer  than  one  of  eight,  or  a 
window  with  but  two  mouldings  in  its  architrave  more  beautiful 
than  one  with  six.  Simplicity  must  regard  not  only  the  number 


RURAL   ARCHITECTURE    AS    A    FINE    ART.  285 

of  the  parts,  but  their  form  and  arrangement.  Used  in  this 
sense,  the  word  has  a  meaning  synonymous  with  "  breadth,"  as 
generally  understood  by  painters  or  artistic  critics.  It  is  a  gene 
ral  oneness  of  expression,  in  which,  however  multiplied  the 
subordinate  parts  may  necessarily  have  to  be,  the  evident  inten 
tion  of  one  un-complex  effect  is  plainly  perceptible.  Thus,  in 
a  plain,  unbroken  front  of  a  country  house,  if  the  windows*  were 
small,  many  in  number,  and  scattered  over  the  facade,  the 
breadth  or  simplicity  of  its  effect  would  be  spoilt ;  but  change 
those  for  fewer  in  number  and  larger  and  wider  in  size,  or 
group  the  smaller  ones  together  into  twos  or  threes,  leaving 
broad,  unbroken  spaces  between  each  cluster,  and  the  breadth 
and  simplicity  are  restored.  In  a  more  complex  building,  and 
one  in  which  some  peculiar  and  marked  feature  is  attempted, 
the  simplicity  will  be  secured  by  such  an  arrangement  of  all 
smaller  parts  that  may  show  evident  subordination  to  the 
striking  part  that  gives  the  character.  Simplicity  of  effect 
is  obtained  by  using  one  large  mass  and  several  smaller,  so  much 
smaller  as  never  to  distract  the  eye  from  the  major  body,  as  in  a 
house  with  lower  wings  ;  or  it  is  obtained  by  union  of  masses  if 
two  or  more  of  similar  size  are  used,  as  in  an  E-shaped  building, 
in  which  the  two  similar  ends  are  brought  together  into  one 
whole  by  the  central  portion.  The  parts  of  each  of  these 
examples  may  be  multiplied  as  much  as  needs  be,  but  the  effect 
being  gathered  by  the  general  lines,  and  the  minuter  portions 
only  serving  as  chasing,  as  it  were,  upon  their  surfaces,  the  im 
pression  of  simplicity  is  secured.  No  matter  how  large  or  how 
ornate  a  building  may  be,  the  effect  is  produced  by  the  outlines 
of  the  masses,  seen  from  a  proper  point  of  sight ;  nothing  can  be 
more  grandly,  beautifully  simple  than  the  pointed  cathedrals  of 


28  (->  RURAL    HOMES. 

Gothic  Europe,  or  the  classic  temples  of  Greece  and  Italy.  St. 
Paul's,  the  metropolitan  cathedral  of  England,  is  an  instance  in 
point,  and  though  examined  in  detail,  the  wonderful  fertility  of 
invention  and  fanciful  design  of  the  exterior  presents  multitudi 
nous  forms  of  beauty.  The  general  outline  is  so  simply,  intelli 
gibly  plain  that  its  form,  despite  its  myriad  parts,  can  be 
sketched  from  memory  by  the  merest  school-boy  who  has  seen 
it.  Perhaps  the  shortest  and  truest  paraphrase  of  architectural 
simplicity  would  be — freedom  from  confusion — and  such  is  the 
definition  I  offer. 

Reality,  as  an  attribute  of  architectural  beauty,  I  have  before 
sufficiently  explained.  It  consists  in  the  legitimate  use  of 
materials  and  principles  of  construction  to  attain  a  required  end. 
A  building  may  appear  beautiful  in  itself,  its  outlines  may  be 
harmonious,  and  effect  simple,  but  if  a  material  not  suitable  or 
method  of  construction  not  adapted  has  been  employed,  none 
but  an  undeveloped  taste  would  sanction  it.  This  is  the  reason 
that  the  wooden-classic,  as  a  style,  is  doomed  to  an  inevitable 
perishing  before  very  long.  The  forms  that  carpentry  copies  are 
in  themselves  beautiful,  and  the  study  that  they  sometimes 
evince  as  spent  upon  their  correct  reproduction  from  the  ancient 
model,  commendable  ;  but,  inasmuch  as  the  eye  and  sense  know 
they  are  not  of  stone  or  marble,  and  that  the  fluted  columns 
hare  been  painfully  cored,  and  glued  up,  and  put  together,  and 
the  carved  capitals  screwed  on  leaf  by  leaf  about  a  clumsy 
timber  block,  the  impression  of  sublimity  is  taken  away,  and  one 
leading  to  ridicule  probably  substituted.  So  in  the  complicated 
Gothic  contrivances  sometimes,  seen,  every  one  knows  that  the 
quaint  and  grotesque  details  have  no  meaning  away  from  their 
own  places,  that  the  imitation  "  portcullis"  (such  has  been  seen 


RURAL   ARCHITECTURE    AS    A    FINE    ART.  287 

and  may  be  seen)  never  descends,  nor  do  anything  more  warlike 
than  nursery-maids  and  children  with  drums  ever  march  across 
the  "drawbridge."  The  " battlemented  turrets"  have  no 
ordnance  or  bold  archer  behind,  and  the  carved  and  crocketted 
chimney-shafts  are  only  good,  honest  smoke-vents  for  a  patent 
warming  apparatus  within.  The  funniest  things  are  sometimes 
done  by  those  who  erect  imitative  Gothic  buildings.  A  large 
and  ccstly  church  recently  erected  in  New  York,  shows  upon  its 
outside  doors  what  apparently  are  very  beautifully  wrought-iron 
scroll-hinges,  such  as  are  frequently  seen  in  old  buildings,  and 
worthy  of  reproduction  now,  but  my  appreciation  of  their 
excellence  has  lost  its  zest  from  the  fact  that,  passing  by  the 
building  ere  completion,  I  found  workmen  carefully  nailing 
on  a  wooden  counterfeit  cut  out  of  stuff  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
thick,  and  this,  painted  black  and  varnished,  lies  itself  into  an 
honest  scroll-hinge,  the  real  working  fellow  being  craftily  con 
cealed  in  the 'door-frame,  and  getting  no  credit  for  the  labor  the 
showy  humbug  outside  seems  to  perform.  Once  a  week's  labor 
would  have  been  gladly  bestowed  on  one  such  hinge  if  a  means 
of  adorning  and  enriching  a  beautiful  doorway  ;  now  a  pattern 
cut  out  of  stiff  paper,  a  few  .feet  of  thin  board,  a  circular  saw  or 
a  "  jumping-johnny,"  with  a  little  paint  and  varnish,  will  serve  to 
turn  out  a  dozen  in  an  hour — thanks  to  "  progress" — not  in  this 
case,  however,  in  "  well-doing." 

Meaning  or  expression  of  character  in  a  building«is  a  beauty 
not  so  easily  obtained.  Being,  as  it  should  be,  an  embodiment 
of  the  individuality  of  the  owner,  it  can  be  subject  to  no  rules 
other  than  those  just  explained.  The  house  of  the  scholar,  the 
man  of  leisure  and  refined  taste,  the  follower  of  agricultural 
pursuits,  or  the  sportsman,  will  have  probably  a  character  con- 


288  RURAL    HOMES. 

sistent  with  the  peculiarities  of  each  owner,  and  as  marked  as 
the  residence  of  the  showy  parvenu  who  has  brought  his  wealth 
from  the  city,  and  his  taste  from  some  not-so-easily-to-be-found 
place,  to  astonish  the  country  folk.  Whimsicality  even  in  a 
building  is  not  unpleasing  if  it  has  been  obtained  legitimately. 
A  Chinese  padoga  roof  has  been  seen  to  produce  a  very  artistic 
effect,  and  used  for  evident  purpose  of  shade  ;  its  shape,  though 
fantastic  and  unusual,  is  not  in  itself  unpleasing,  nor  could  its  use 
justly  be  reprehended  if  constructed  of  suitable  and  honestly 
used  materials. 

Frequently  an  architect  may  be  called  upon  by  his  employer 
to  advise  arid  assist  in  embodying  some  principle  of  design  not 
apparently  entirely  congruous  with  good  taste :  in  such  a  case, 
not  merely  from  motives  of  policy,  but  in  order  to  secure  that 
individuality  a  building  should  possess,  he  should  not  resolutely 
combat  the  owner's  wishes,  but  sedulously  seek  to  identify  them 
•with  his  own,  and  carry  out  the  idea,  transfusing  at  the  same 
time  therein  so  much  of  his  own  refined  spirit  as  may  assist  in 
giving  meaning  to  any  whimsicality  and  simplicity  of  effect  to 
the  whole  composition.  Like  a  skilful  performer  in  a  duet  upon 
the  piano,  who,  in  case  his  partner  makes  a  mistake,  does  not 
steadily  go  on  with  his  own  part,  leaving  the  other  to  catch  him 
up  and  come  in  how  he  may,  but  by  deviating  somewhat  in  his 
own  notes,  covers  up  the  blunder,  and  not  only  prevents  its 
detection  by  the  general  company,  but  to  the  appreciation  of 
the  initiated  produces  a  beauty  by  the  dexterity  and  intelligence 
of  the  manoeuvre ; — so  a  competent  architect  over  the  sugges 
tions  of  the  owner  will  throw  a  masterly  treatment,  which  will 
Aoi  only  prevent  inadvertent  discord,  but  by  the  blending  of  the 


RURAL    ARCHITECTURE    AS    A    FINE    ART.  289 

individual  will,  and  the  artist  taste,  will  secure  a  beautiful  and 
original  effect. 

At  the  risk  of  seeming  repetition,  I  repeat  the  principles  upon 
which  architectural  beauty  in  a  rural  home  depends, — simplicity 
reality  and  intention.  Their  importance  cannot  too  strongly  be 
insisted  on,  and  so  impressed  therewith  should  builders  be,  that, 
in  devising  any  plan,  they  should  mentally  train  themselves  to 
reply  to  a  question  that  will  soon  be  the  query  of  the  age — 
is  it  honest? 

In  a  few  years  How  beautiful  may  this  country  be  made  by 
its  rural  architecture !  There  are  bye  places,  and  nooks  and 
lanes,  fertile  valleys  and  rich  knolls,  that  only  want  the  hand  of 
taste  and  the  clear  eye  to  invest  with  the  sentiment  of  beauty. 
No  country  in  the  world  is  so  favored  by  nature,  and  by  reason 
of  the  unfettered  freedom  for  expression  of  individual  taste,  the 
lack  of  the  restraint  of  precedent,  and  the  presence  of  a  common 
sense  right-mindedness  which  teaches  (or  will  teach)  to  judge  of 
a  thing  only  by  its  intrinsic  merits,  no  land  shows  so  open  a 
plain  for  the  advancement  of  art.  Villages,  now  but  assemblages 
of  white  boxes  thrust  as  near  as  may  be  upon  the  street,  may  be 
made  clustered  homes  of  simplicity  and  beauty ;  the  church,  the 
culminating  point  and  centre  of  rustic  attraction,  not  a  building 
with  wooden  quasi-classic  portico  and  semi-exposed  walls,  but  a 
modest  and  yet  sublime  structure,  modest  in  its  freedom  from 
pretentious  ornament,  sublime  in  its  simple  dignity  ;  the  store 
no  longer  a  red  staring  two  or  three  storied  barn,  but  a  cool, 
cheerful,  well-shaded  erection  with  widely  spread  and  sheltering 
roof,  and  interior  light,  roomy  and  airy ;  the  school-house  such  as 
children  would  love  to  linger  around,  and  in  their  very  dreams  to 

see  enpictured  as  a  place  of  beauty.     The  cottage,  the  parsonage, 
13 


290  RURAL    HOMES. 

tiie  farmer's  homestead  and  the  rich  man's  mansion  each  con 
tributing,  though  each  so  differently,  to  the  one  effect  of  the 
whole ;  with  noble  old  trees  grouped  here  and  there  and  avenu- 
ing  the  road,  and  around  everything  the  air  of  thrift  that  it  is 
pleasant  to  testify  all  American  villages  have  ;  such  will  make 

r-~ 

lovely  places  of  every  hamlet.  It  is  not  possible  that  in  erecting 
buildings  so  various  as  a  country  village  is  composed  of,  one 
general  directing  taste  can  be  expected,  beyond  agreeing  to  re 
tain  the  roads  a  certain  width,  appropriating  a  certain  spot  for  a 
public  square  or  common  garden,  and  determining  to  spare  all 
trees  now  standing,  and,  where  fitting  to  plant  new  ones,  an  un 
divided  action  cannot  be  looked  for. 

But  the  general  effect  will  be  produced  by  the  mass  of  indi 
vidual  effort ;  therefore,  if  each  one  fairly  does  his  part,  the  re 
sult  of  the  collected  whole  will  show  one  harmonious  design. 
The  church-building  committee  having  selected  the  spot  for  their 
structure,  with  reference  not  only  to  its  convenience  of  access 
from  all  parts  of  the  village,  but  to  its  effect  in  the  landscape  as 
seen  grouped  with  the  houses,  determine  to  adopt  a  design  and 
style  of  structure  that  shall  harmonize.  Probably  standing  on 
an  eminence,  but  so  placed  that  there  shall  be  a  background  of 
trees  or  higher  ground  behind,  with  a  bold  sweep  of  sward  in 
front,  and  roomy,  rustic  sheds  for  shelter  of  country  wagons  dur 
ing  service  times,  at  the  rear  and  sides,  the  building  has  a  base 
upon  the  ground,  and  by  these  features  has  given  to  it  a  domes 
ticity  which  is  the  very  acme  of  perfection  in  a  country  church, 
sympathizing  as  it  does  with  our  twofold  nature,  and  drawing 
by  ties  of  kindred  with  our  human  wants  instead  of  standing 
apart  in  bare  and  cold  separation,  inspiring  the  spirit  of  awe 
rather  than  the  feeling  of  love.  It  is  perhaps  a  low  wooden 


RURAL    ARCHITECTURE    AS    A    FINE    ART.  291 

building,  with  high  pitched  roof,  so  made  because  strong,  dura 
ble  and  simple,  with  its  eaves  projecting  many  feet  at  the  side  to 
screen  from  heat  in  summer,  and  give  warmth  in  winter ;  on  the 
front  is  a  roomy  porch  of  simplest  construction,  enclosed  it  may 
be  at  one  end  in  winter  and  well  warmed,  so  as  to  afford  a  com 
fortable  resting  room  between  services  for  those  who  have  come 
from  a  distance.  Somewhere  from  the  building  rises  a  tower  for 
the  bell,  perhaps  surmounted  by  a  spire,  no  huge  pile  of  box 
upon  box  and  column  upon  column,  but  a  simple  square  tower 
carried  up  from  the  ground  and  having  evident  support  there 
from,  (not  striding  the  gable  as  so  often  seen,)  and  breaking 
with  a  few  bold  mouldings  and  perhaps  a  bracketted  string 
course,  into  an  octagonal  spire,  whose  airy  lightness  gives  finish 
to  the  tower  and  beauty  to  the  whole  structure. 

Nestling  amongst  trees  not  far  from  the  church  should  be 
seen  the  oft-alluded-to  school-house,  low,  rustic  and  shaded.  A 
distinct  porch  and  yard  for  boys  and  girls,  and  above  the  roof 
a  little  bell  cot.  No  columns,  nor  pediment,  nor  classic  pre 
tension  ;  the  village  children  make  not  the  dead  languages  of 
Greece  and  Rome  their  study,  why  surround  them  with  their 
architecture  ?  Let  me  plead  for  a  flower  garden  attached  to  the 
school-house — beautiful  lessons  of  industry  and  love  and  rever 
ence  can  be  taught  by  flower  culture — if  those  entrusted  with 
the  education  of  the  young  would  but  see  this,  and  instead  of 
tying  them  to  droning  lessons  in  the  drowsy  school-room,  would 
cultivate  their  perceptive  faculties  and  their  inner  sympathies 
with  the  beautiful,  how  much  more  eager  to  learn,  and  how 
much  more  benefited  would  the  poor  little  school  children  be 
than  they  are  now7.  Not  far  from  this  might  be  placed  the  par 
sonage — such  an  one  as  exhibited  in  this  book ; — unobtrusive,  solid 


292  RURAL    HOMES. 

and  simple,  connected  with  the  church  by  a  something  which  dis 
tinguishes  it  from  other  dwellings,  and  yet  possessing  features  in 
common  with  the  people's  homes.  Then  would  come  houses  of 
differing  size  and  character ;  the  modest  cottage  of  the  working 
man  with  its  gay  little  garden-plot  and  bright  flower  bed  ;  the 
somewhat  larger  dwellings  of  the  storekeeper,  merchant  and  pro 
fessional  man ;  the  great  house  of  the  village  with  its  noble 
woods  and  lawns,  and  everything  that  can  show  appreciation  of 
nature's  beauties  and  sedulous  cultivation  thereof  by  art.  The 
village  inn,  no  flaunting,  plate-glass  bedizened  temple  of  Bac 
chus,  but  a  cheerful,  spacious  traveller's  home.  Wide  should  be 
its  verandas,  roomy  its  stable  yard  and  offices,  and  if  the  travel 
of  the  place  calls  for  a  little  external  display,  the  good  sense  of 
the  villagers  must  only  allow  it  to  be  made  in  harmony  with  the 
spirit  of  the  rest. 

As  yet  there  are  very  few  examples  of  a  satisfactory  rural  inn  ; 
this  is  singular  when  the  partiality  is  considered  that  there  is  for 
an  hotel  life.  Either  such  as  we  have  are  so  extravagantly  built 
and  furnished  as  to  cause  a  rate  of  charge  far  beyond  what  the 
general  run  of  travellers  ought  to  be  able  to  afford  to  pay,  or  else 
are  dingy  and  incommodious.  Unfortunately  an  architect  is 
rarely  consulted  in  their  construction ;  some  speculating  builder 
"  runs  up"  for  a  certain  sum  a  building  to  accommodate  so  many 
hundred  persons,  and  provided  the  exterior  be  showy  and  as  many 
floors  as  scaffolding  can  be  made  for  are  piled  one  above  the  other, 
and  the  whole  is  surmounted  with  a  dome  or  an  octagonal  ob 
servatory  and  flag-pole,  every  one  is  satisfied.  Showy  carpeting, 
upholstery  and  furniture  are  looked  for  as  matters  of  course,  and 
compensate  for  unventilated  and  sometimes  unlighted  bed-rooms, 
— and  "  private  apartments"  at  forty  dollars  per  week.  A  coun- 


RURAL    ARCHITECTURE    AS    A    FINE    ART.  293 

try  hotel  should  after  all  be  merely  a  large,  roomy  house,  with 
parlors,  dining  room,  and  spacious  halls  large  enough  for  the  \ 
estimated  number  of  guests.  Wide  and  airy  verandas  should 
be  important  features  of  the  plan ;  they  should  be  so  arranged 
as  to  secure  one  large,  retired  shade-room  for  ladies,  and  the 
wider  and  larger  they  are,  the  better.  The  manners  of  the 
guests  derive  a  coloring  from  the  style  of  the  house ;  in  an  over- 
fine,  showy-parlored  house,  you  will  meet  fair  ladies  with  all 
their  jewelry  displayed  at  breakfast,  and  in  ball  costume  at  the 
one  o'clock  dinner,  but  in  a  house  such  as  I  would  have  it  to  be, 
I  will  venture  to  say  those  who  have  taste  will,  without  fear  of 
seeming  to  do  differently  from  others,  dress  as  they  would  at 
home,  and  those  who  have  not,  be  shamed  into  simplicity  by  the 
homelike  charm  of  the  building,  and  the  influence  of  its 
unaffected  dignity.  Such  a  house  we  will  imagine  in  our  model 
village. 

On  its  outskirts  are  the  usual  appurtenances  of  a  travelled 
road — the  blacksmith  shop,  the  town  house,  the  toll  house,  and 
the  covered  bridge ; — how  pretty  and  yet  how  simple  might 
they  all  be  made  !  The  bridge,  I  know,  is  a  dangerous  topic  to 
touch  upon — prejudice  is  decidedly  in  favor  of  making  it  a 
covered  trough  from  bank  to  bank,  and  economy  in  preserving 
timber  by  its  shelter  is  a  powerful  argument — in  force  till  some 
kind  engineer,  inspired  by  a  desire  to  improve  and  beautify,  has 
shown  how,  at  half  the  expenditure  of  material  and  money, 
a  durable  structure  can  be  made,  which,  light  and  uncovered, 
shall  not  obstruct  the  view  nor  look  unsightly  in  the  landscape. 
One  very  great  source  of  improvement  in  the  appearance  of  the 
approach  to  a  village,  would  be  in  a  more  careful  attention  to 
the  fences  and  boundarv  walk  that  line  the  roads.  Iron  wire  is 


294  RURAL   HOMES. 

now  in  course  of  introduction  for  this  purpose ;  it  is  light, 
durable  and  inexpensive,  and  as  a  means  of  protecting  from 
injury  the  hedges  growing  behind,  can  strongly  be  recom 
mended.  Wooden  rails  are  too  frail  and  too  easily  removed  or 
broken,  and  walling  is  expensive  and  also  takes  up  much  room. 
Cast  iron  has  a  stiff  and  formal  look,  beside  being  liable  to  be 
easily  broken  by  a  blow  or  by  a  stone  thrown  by  some 
mischievous  urchin ;  but  wrought  iron  wire,  either  simply  run  in 
a  single  strand  through  posts,  or  woven  by  machinery  into  some 
suitable  pattern,  is  both  beautiful  and  strong. 

No  country  in  the  world  possesses  such  facilities  for  the  liberal 
and  domestic  use  of  water  as  this ;  the  boast  of  the  so  much 
vaunted  superior  English  cleanliness  would  receive  a  slight 
check  if  statistics  were  obtained  to  show  the  superior  number 
of  bathing  arrangements  in  the  private  houses  of  New  York 
compared  with  the  private  houses  of  London.  Villages  have 
frequently  their  own  little  aqueduct  to  supply  their  water-wants, 
and  with  the  facility  thus  given  for  carrying  the  precious  liquid 
over  every  house  and  adorning  a  few  pretty  places  with  sparkling 
fountains,  there  is  an  element  of  utility  and  beauty  within  the 
reach  of  Americans  that  is  not  attainable  with  the  same  readi 
ness  elsewhere.  In  no  respect  could  the  principle  of  association 
be  so  advantageously  carried  out  as  in  supplying  a  community 
with  water.  The  formation  of  an  aqueduct  (under  ordinary 
facilities  for  water-supply)  that  would  carry  an  abundant  supply 
over  every  house,  leaving  still  sufficient  for  ornamental  purposes, 
would  actually  cost  considerably  less  to  the  owner  of  each  house 
than  would  the  digging  of  an  individual  well  and  the  provision 
of  pumps  or  other  water  gear.  The  benefit  to  be  derived  by 
such  a  comfort  is  incalculable,  and  with  a  little  taste  and  cheerful 


RURAL    ARCHITECTURE    AS    A    FINE    ART.  295 

co-operation  on  the  part  of  the  residents,  the  public  square,  the 
school  yard,  and  the  church  green,  could  each  be  adorned  with 
some  simple  rustic  fountain  to  give  play  to  the  sparkling  and 
cooling  waters.  Near  the  school-house  should  be  a  covered  bath 
of  ample  size  supplied  by  the  same  aqueduct ;  this  principally 
for  the  use  of  children,  and  supported  by  some  small  annual 
payment  from  all  who  participate  in  its  benefits.  No  great 
expense  would  be  needed  for  it ;  one  properly  made  of  brick  or 
stone  laid  in  hydraulic  cement,  with  a  deepening  brick  floor,  and 
covered  over  at  one  end  with  a  wooden  erection  containing 
dressing-rooms,  of  the  dimensions  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  long  by  twenty-five  feet  wide,  and  six  feet  deep  in  the 
deepest  part,  would  not  exceed  in  cost  two  thousand  three  hun 
dred  dollars.  It  need  not  be  entirely  roofed  over  if  placed  in  a 
sheltered  spot  where  its  waters  could  be  concealed.  A  high 
fence  surrounding  it,  and  a  building  at  either  end  for  dressing- 
rooms  would  be  sufficient,  and  the  rest  left  open  to  the  sky 
would  be  both  better  ventilated  and  more  beneficial  to  the 
bathers.  Were  I  writing  on  sanitary  reform  I  would  show  the 
great  advantages  to  be  derived  from  the  daily  use  of  a  large 
bath ;  or  were  I  addressing  parents  I  would  comfort  them  by 
suggestions  of  the  superior  safety  of  such  a  bath  to  the  open 
and  treacherous  river ;  but  appealing  as  an  architect,  I  can  only 
show  how  easily  such  a  luxury  can  be  obtained,  and  the  cost 
and  means  of  securing  it. 


Such  a  village  as  the  one  I  have  sketched  might  be  made  of 
every   rural    hamlet   throughout   the    land.      Every   class   of 


290  RURAL  HOMES. 

builder,  the  cottager,  the  projector  of  the  costliest  mansion,  has 
his  part  to  do.  Beautiful  as  are  the  reclaimed  spots  of  this 
luxuriant  country,  they  are  tame  in  comparison  to  what  a 
cared-for  architecture  may  make  them.  Noble  forests,  rich 
expanses  of  undulating  greensward  and  natural  lawns,  beautiful 
lakes  and  plentiful  streams,  are  in  boundless  profusion ;  not  a 
country  town  but  has,  within  a  five  mile  drive,  some  beauty  so 
lovely  as  to  make  its  neighborhood  a  precious  place  ;  not  a  single 
farm  but  has,  somewhere  on  it,  so  glorious  a  prospect  hill,  so 
noble  a  wood,  or  so  pretty  a  copse,  as  would  render  its  possession 
a  covetable  object  to  every  man  of  taste.  Nowhere  is  there 
other  than  richest  beauty.  The  sand  plains  of  Maine  are  noble 
in  their  bold,  unbroken  extent,  and  in  their  sighing  pines,  and 
those  places  which  at  present  man  has  not  conquered,  the  swamp 
and  lowland  morass,  only  await  skilful  labor  and  untiring 
industry  to  yield  the  most  grateful  return.  Mr.  Ruskin  says 
there  is  in  nature  no  such  thing  as  positive  ugliness  or  deformity, 
only  degrees  of  beauty ;  and  where  anything  less  lovely  than 
another  is  permitted,  it  is  only  there  to  send  a  higher  charm  to 
the  appreciation  of  the  rest,  "  spots  of  blackness  in  creation  to 
make  its  colors  felt."  Such  being  the  case,  what  encouragement 
to  the  investigation  of  the  principles  of  beauty  in  architectural 
form,  and  what  incentive  to  their  embodiment ! 

How  beautiful  is  the  description  of  Evangeline's  Village,  the 
"homes  of  the  happy."  "Still  stands  the  forest  primeval. — 
The  murmuring  pines  and  the  hemlock"  still  whisper  to  us  as 
they  did  of  old  ;  there  is  wanting  only  that  tender  love  for 
nature ;  that  sympathy  with  the  simple  and  the  beautiful,  and, 
only  differently  employed  than  that  of  Mr.  Longfellow's  sweet 
heroine, — the  "  affection  that  hopes,  and  endures,  and  is  patient,'* 


RURAL    ARCHITECTURE    AS    A    FINE    ART.  297 

to   make   our   gathered   homes   in  the   country  more  than  a 
realization  of  the  fondest  "  dream  of  Acadie." 


Now  must  I  draw  my  pleasant  labors  to  a  close,  and  bid 
my  readers — farewell.  In  parting,  I  would  again  revert  to  the 
all-importance  of  embodying  some  fixed  principle  and  meaning  in 
each  country  dwelling.  I  would  not  go  so  far  as  to  say  that  the 
individual  character  of  its  owner  may  be  guessed  by  a  glance  at 
the  building,  but  the  general  tone  of  mind  certainly  may.  Reality 
— meaning — ornamental  work  serving  a  purpose,  practical  or 
poetic — suitability  to  material,  situation  and  manner  of  living — 
these  must  be  the  beauties  sought  to  be  embodied  in  a  rural  home, 
and  step  by  step,  as  such  houses  shall  be  built,  will  the  high, 
broad  base,  for  erecting  a  standard  of  -true  taste,  be  founded. 
Tt  is  a  pleasant  and  a  reasonable  hope  that  the  teaching  of  the 
public  in  constructive  art  will  be  commenced  and  steadily  car 
ried  on  by  means  of  rural  architecture.  All  know  the  influence 
of  early  home-teachings,  youthful  reminiscences  and  associa 
tions  ;  if  these  were  always  of  the  simple,  the  beautiful  and  the 
reasonable  in  the  home  itself ;  if  the  very  building  never  arose 
before  the  memory  without  confirming  by  its  ever-speaking  tes 
timony  the  advantage  of  embodiment  of  these  principles,  and 
the  harmony  and  loveliness  of  the  result ;  how  better  armed  to 
resist  the  temptations  of  a  false  and  tricky  taste,  and  to  carry  on 
the  advocacy  of  the  nobly  true,  the  inventive  mind  of  the  artist 
and  the  appreciation  of  the  amateur  would  be  !  Some  old  writer 
says,  "  the  country  is  a  perpetual  sermon,"  so  might  be  the 
dwellings  it  contains.  Money  is  not  needed  as  the  only  means 


298 


RURAL   HOMES. 


to  make  them  so;  no,  simple,  almost  homely  treatment  often 
secures  the  happiest  result  ;  their  charm  must  rest  in  their 
appropriateness  ;  their  reality  be  secured  by  the  stability  and 
honest  use  of  materials ;  so  that  the  next  generation  shall  say  of 
them  as  was  sung  of  the  church-builders  of  old, 

"  They  dreampt  not  of  a  perishable  home, 
Who  thus  could  build  I" 


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acquaintance." — Cleveland  Herald 


N,  P.  WILLiS?S  SELECT  WORKS,  IS  UNIFORM  I2M8.  V3LS. 

RURAL    LETTERS,    AND    OTHER    RECORDS    OF     THOUGHTS     AT 

LEISURE,  embracing  Letters  from  under  a  Bridge,  Open  Air  Musings  in  the  Cityf 
•'.Invalid  Eamble  in  Germany,"  "  Letters  from  Watering  Places,"  &c.,  £c.  1  vol. 
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with  a  fresh  sense  of  delight  It  bears  the  imprint  of  nature  in  her  purest  and  most  joy 
ous  forms,  and  under  her  most  cheering  and  inspiring  influences."  —  2f.  Y.  Tribune. 

"  If  we  would  show  how  a  modern  could  write  with  the  ease  of  Cowley,  most  gentle 
lover  of  nature's  gardens,  and  their  fitting  accessaries  from  life,  we  would  offer  this  volume 
as  the  best  proof  that  the  secret  has  not  yet  died  out"—  Literary  World. 

PEOPLE  I    HAVEM  ETj  or  Pictures  of  Society  and  People  of  Mark—  drawn  under  a 
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them  the  author  seems  to  have  picked  as  daintily,  for  its  richness  or  grace,  or  its  fine  fit 
ness  to  his  purpose,  as  if  a  humming-bird  were  picking  upon  his  quivering  wing  the 
flower  whose  sweets  he  would  lovingly  rifle,  or  a  belle  were  culling  the  stones  for  her 
bridal  necklace."  —  N.  Y.  Independent. 

"The  book"  embraces  a  great  variety  of  personal  and  social  sketches  in  the  Old  World, 
and  concludes  with  some  thrilling  reminiscences  of  distinguished  ladies,  including  the 
Belles  of  New  York,  eta"—  The  Eepublia. 

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"  This  very  agreeable  volume  consists  of  sketches  of  life  and  adventure,  all  of  them,  the 
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phical.  Such  of  these  sketches  as  we  have  read,  are  in  Mr.  Willis's  happiest  vein—  a  vein, 
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2f. 


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PENCILINGS  BY  THE  WAY.—  A  New  and  Revised  Edition.     By  N.  P.  WILLIS 

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"This  is  a  pleasing  book,  abundantly  teeming  with  the  thrilling  sasrwlties  of  'hair 
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HERBERT'S  NEW  WORK. 

THE  CAPTAINS  OF  THE  OLD  WORLD— Their  Campaigns-Character,  and 
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CONTENTS.— The  Military  Art  among  the  Greeks  and  Eomans— Miltiades,  the  soi  of  Ci- 
mon— His  battle  of  Marathon — Themistocles,  his  seu-fight  off  Salamis,  &c. — Pausanias, 
the  Spartan ;  his  battle  of  Plataia,  &c. — Xenophon,  the  Athenian ;  his  retreat  of  the 
Ten  Thousand,  &c. — Epurninondas,  his  Campaigns,  battle  of  Leuktra  and  Mantinela — 
Alexander  of  Macedon,  his  battles  of  the  Granikos,  Issos,  and  Arbela,  &c. — Hannibal, 
his  battles  of  the  i  icinus,  Trebbia,  1  hrasyniene,  and  Canse.  « 

"  The  theme  is  full  of  interest,  to  which  Mr.  Herbert's  known  literary  ability  and  classi 
cal  taste  may  be  expected  to  give  due  exposition.  The  work  is  an  original  one — the  ma 
terial  of  which  he  claims  to  derive,  not  from  modern  books,  but  from  the  ancient  authentic 
sources  of  history  which  he  has  examined  for  himself." — U.  S.  Gazette  &  N.  American. 

"Mr.  Herbert  has  succeeded  admirably— and  has  produced  a  work  that  will  entitle  him 
to  a  high  rank  with  the  best  authors  of  his  native  and  hi&  adopted  country." — Syracv&Q 
Star. 

"The  exploits  of  those  captains  are  detailed,  whose  achievements  exerted  the  most 
powerful  influence  on  the  destinies  of  the  world.  The  author  is  a  well-read  historian,  and 
bus  contemplated  the  events  he  describes  with  the  eye  of  a  philosopher  and  scholar." — 
Philadtlplda  Presl  yterian. 

"This  is  a  powerful  and  brilliant  delineation  of  the  captains  of  the  Old  "World— it  opens 
•with  the  three  great  Wars  of  Greece,  and  traces  the  course  of  Hannibal  in  the  most  capti 
rating  style. '—  Albany  Spectator. 

"  To  a  nervous  and  pointed  style  the  author  adds  the  research  of  a  scholar  and  the  en 
thusiasm  of  a  man  of  action.  The  strategies  of  warfare — the  arming  of  troops,  and  the 
stern  conflicts  of  man  with  man,  are  of  course  congenial  subjects  to  one  whose  knowledge 
cf  skill  in  woodcraft  is  proverbial,  and  Mr.  Herbert  consequently  enters  into  them  with 
gusto  aud  with  clearness  of  perception." — Tlie,  Albion. 

"This  volume  which  is  intended  to  be  the  first  of  a  series,  includes  seven  of  the  greatest 
generals  of  antiquity,  beginning  with  Miltiades  and  ending  with  Hannibal.  The  facts  are  all 
drawn  from  the  most  authentic  sources,  and  the  characters  displayed  with  uncommon 
skill  and  effect.  It  was  a  bright  thought,  the  bringing  together  of  these  illustrious  names 
in  one  group." — Albany  Argus. 

"  The  writer  draws  a  comparison  between  them  and  the  great  modern  strategists,  and 
gives  an  exceedingly  interesting  and  graphic  picture  of  the  celebrated  conflicts  of  olden 
times  from  the  Persian  wars  to  the  Punic  wars."— N.  Y.  Observer. 

"  This  is  an  unique  and  able  work.  It  displays  sound  and  varied  scholarship,  united 
with  a  knowledge  of  the  military  art  rarely  possessed  by  a  civilian.  There  is  a  truth  and 
freshness  about  the  descriptions  that  show  the  author  to  be  no  second-hand  compiler,  but 
one  who  has  drawn  his  knowledge  from  a  careful  study  of  the  Greek  and  Roman  historians 
in  their  native  garb.  We  would  recommend  this  work  to  the  attention  of  the  young  stu 
dent,  as  a  better  manual  of  antiquities  relative  to  the  military  art,  than  any  set  treatise  on 
the*  subject,  while  its  views  of  historical  epochs  and  political  relations  are  equally  valuable 
and  trustworthy.  His  analysis  of  the  character  and  strategy  of  the  great  captains  of  anti 
quity  is  full  of  interest  and  instruction.'1 — N.  Y.  Recorder. 


BARLEY'S  ILLUSTRATED  EDITION  GF 

REVERIES  OF  A  BACHELOR     Or,  a  Book  of  the  Heart    By  IK.  MARVKL.    1 

vol.  Svo.  with  twenty -fiv«  illustrations.    Price,  in  cloth,  full  guilt,  $4  00;  in  morocco 

extra,' $6  00. 

The  illustrations,  designed  by  Darley,  and  engraved  by  Whitney,  Kinnersley,  Ilerrick, 
&c.,  are  considered  by  good  judges  as  the  finest  ever  executed  in  this  country,  and  the  Pub 
lisher  promises  the  most  elegant  Gift  Book  of  the  season.  This  book  having  already  gone 
through  fifteen  editions,  has  been  stereotyped  anew,  expressly  for  this  edition. 


MRS,  KIRKLAND. 

THE  EVENING  BOOK;  Or,  Fireside  Talk  on  Morals  and  Manners,  with  Sketches 
of  Western  Life.  By  Mrs.  0.  J\I.  KIRKLAND.  1  vol.  Svo.  cloth,  full  gilt,  $3  50;  mo 
rocco  extra,  $5  00. 

The  contents  of  this  elegant  volume,  all  written  by  Mrs.  Kirkland,  are  as  follows : — "  House 
hold" — Hospitality — Mystery  of  Visiting — Significance  of  Dress — Conversation — What 
shall  we  be  ? — Fastidiousness — Bush  Life — Street  Servants  at  Home  and  Abroad — Tho 
Log  School  House— Standards— Sketch  of  a  Case,  or  a  Physician  Extraordinarj'— The 
Dark  Side — Courting  by  Proxy — Growing  old  gracefully — The  Town  Poor,  a  Western 
Reminiscence— The  Village  School— The  Singing  School— A  Wadding  in  the  Woods. 
The  volume  is  elegantly  illustrated  WITH  FINE  STEEL  ENGKAVINGS,  designed  by  Dallas, 
and  engraved  by  Burt. 
"This  is  one  of  the  most  delightful  of  Mrs.  Kirkland's  works,  and  will  be  wholly  popu.' 

lar,  for  the  sketches  and  essays  it  contains  treat  of  subjects  pertaining  to  home  life  and 

social  manners.     '1  he  essays  are  varied  with  a  number  of  tales  and  sketches  of  Western. 

adventure,  as  entertaining  as  some  of  the  pictures  in  the  fair  author's  "New  Home." — Mrs. 

Ettet. 


MRS,  ELLET. 

WATCHING  SPIRITS.  By  Mrs,  ELLET,  Author  of  "Women  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution."  1  vol.  Svo.  with  fine  steel  engravings.  Bound  in  cloth,  full  gilt,  price  $2  50, 
and  morocco  extra,  price  $3  50. 

•'We  have  looked  over  this  beautiful  book  with  great  delight — the  great  doctrines  of  the 
gospel  are  fully  presented,  and  this  touching  and  attractive  subject  invested  with  all  the 
grace  and  sweetness  of  a  pure  and  womanly  heart.1" — Southern  Watchman. 


FRGF.  BOYD?S  EDITION  0? 

YOUNG'S  NIGHT  THOUGHTS,  with  a  memoir  of  the  Author,  a  critical  view  of 
his  writings,  and  explanatory  notes.  By  JAMES  R.  BOYD.  In  1  vol.  Svo.  Elegantly 
illustrated  with  Westall's  designs,  engraved  by  Burt  Price,  in  cloth,  full  gilt,  $4  00, 
in  morocco  extra,  $6  00.  Also,  uniform  with  "  Young." 

MILTON'S  PARADISE  LOST,  with  copious  Notes,  Explanatory  and  Critical.     By 

JAMES  ROBERT  BOYD     1  vol.  Svo.     Elegantly  Illustrated  with  \'artin'6  Illustrations. 
"Professor  Boyd  has  evidently  elaborated  the  notes  with  great  care,  and  many  a  reader 

will  thank  him  for  having  rendered  intelligible  and  exquisitely  beautiful,  what  before 

scarcely  seemed  to  have  any  meaning."' — Albany  Argus. 

"  Professor  Boyd  has  prepared  this  edition  with  copious  notes  and  introductory  remarks 

to  each  Book,  by  which  everything  obscure  is  explamed,  while  the  various  beauties  of 

thought  and  style  are  happily  pointed  out.'1— ITa rtford  Herald. 


VAGAMUNDO  ;  OR,  THE  ATTACHE  IN  SPAIN.    By  JOHN  E.  WARREN.    1  yoL 
12mo.    Price,  $1  00. 

"  The  author  of  the  volume  before  us  has  evidently  many  of  the  necessary  qualifications 
for  a  traveller  in  Spain.  Light-hearted  and  gay,  his  good  humor  never  deserts  htfn,  and  ho 
is  disposed  to  view  everything  through  a  couleur  de  rose  medium.  Much  of  this  illusion 
may  perhaps  be  ascribed  te  the  senorita-x  who  appear  to  have  exercised  unbounded  sway 
over  the  susceptible  heart  of  our  Attache.  In  his  eyes  Spain  is  a  paradise  of  houries  of 
bewitching  beauty." — London  Literary  Gazette. 

"  The  Attache,  enjoying  peculiar  advantages  frem  his  official  position,  made  the  most  of 
his  privileges,  and  has  given  us  a  daguerreotype  of  that  singularly  romantic  country  and 
people  in  a  style  at  once  lucid,  lively  and  readable." —  The  Leader. 

"  We  have  seen  more  elaborate  works  upon  Spain  than  this,  but  few  abound  more  with 
agreeable  incidents  and  pleasant  descriptions.  The  writer's  imagination  revels  amidst  the 
soft  and  beautiful  scenes  in  which  he  finds  himself,  and  he  contrives  to  make  the  objects 
which  pass  before  him  almost  as  visible  and  palpable  to  his  readers  as  they  wore  to  him 
self." — Albany  Argus. 

"  He  seems  to  have  made  good  use  of  his  means,  for  the  book  is  full  of  incidents,  told  in 
a  rather  lively  manner,  and  with  due  sensibility  to  the  romantic  scenery  as  well  as  to  the 
romantic  history  of  Spain  " — N.  Y.  Evening  Post. 

"  The  author  is  a  man  of  unquestionable  talent  and  keen  observation.  He  paints  with 
great  power,  and  sketches  manners  and  men  with  the  hand  of  a  master.  There  is  an  in- 
tenseness  and  earnestness  throughout  the  entire  book  remarkable  in  these  days  of  literary 
foppishness  and  superficiality."—  Oneida  Herald. 


THE  FALL  OF  POLAND.  Containing  an  Analytical  and  Philosophical  Account  of 
the  Causes  which  conspired  in  the  Euin  of  that  Nation — Together  with  a  History  of 
the  Country  from  its  Origin.  By  L.  C.  SAXTON.  2  vols.  12mo.  With  Illustrations. 
Price,  $2  50. 

"The  entire  work  is  no  hasty  utterance  of  crude  opinions,  for  the  anther  has  evidently 
fitted  himself  for  the  task  he  has  undertaken,  by  a  study  of  history  generally,  and  particu. 
larly  by  a  careful  collation  of  those  writers  that  bear  upon  the  subject.  In  order  to  be 
more  complete,  the  various  topics  are  arranged  under  different  heads:  as  Religion,  Gov 
ernment,  Great  Men,  Civilization,  Society,  &c.,  thus  enabling  the  student  to  refer  directly 
to  the  subject  which  he  may  desire  to  see,  and  fitting  it,  with  its  appropriate  index,  to  make 
a  valuable  work  for  the  library." — Newark  Daily  Advertiser. 

"  It  is  the  product  of  great  thought  and  research,  and  presents  a  complete  and  accurate 
view  of  the  history,  government,  laws,  religion,  popular  character,  and  in  short  everything 
Connected  with  Poland  that  can  have  an  interest  for  the  scholar  or  the  statesman.  It  is  a 
solid,  symmetrical,  and  glowing  incorporation  of  all  the  great  points  of  interest  of  one  of 
the  most  interesting  nations  of  modern  times,  and  deserves  to  be  placed  among  the  endur 
ing  ornaments  of  American  literature." — N.  Y.  Courier  &  Enquirer. 

"  He  has  gone  into  his  subject  with  thoroughness— having  been  many  years  in  gather- 
Ing  his  materials,  and  giving  them  symmetry  and  form." — Boston  Transcript. 

'  The  author  has  set  himself  to  the  task  with  great  zeal,  and  with  quite  an  extensive 
knowledge  of  the  accessories  of  his  subject."—  Cincinnati  Daily. 


LIFE  OF  ALGERNON  SIDNEY,  with  sketches  of  some  of  his  contemporaries  and 
extracts  from  his  Correspondence  and  Political  Writings.  By  G.  Van  Santvoord' 
1  vol.  12mo. 

•*  The  style  of  this  work  is  clear,  precise,  always  forcible,  and  at  times  eloquent,  we  ask 
onr  readers  to  purchase,  and  go  through  with  one  chapter,  they  will  read  the  rest  with 
out  our  asking  "  —  PoughJceepsie  American. 

"  Mr.  Van  Santvoord  has  drawn  his  character  and  related  the  incidents  of  his  life  with 
a  warm  appreciation  ;  and  he  has  thrown  in  some  admirable  short  sketches-of  some  of  his 
compatriots.  We  recommend  his  book  warmly."  —  American  Review. 

"A  volume  of  manly  strength,  bringing  under  review  the  most  exciting  scenes  and 
noblest  deeds,  and  presenting  characters  of  some  of  the  greatest  men  who  have  figured  in 
British  History."—  -ZV.  Y.  Observer. 

"  This  Work  is  graphic,  vigorous,  and  accurate.  It  necessarily  combines  sketches  of 
other  leading  characters  —  such  as  Vane,  Bradshaw,  Cromwell,  and  Milton.  There  are 
more  interesting  facts  condensed  in  a  small  volume  than  we  have  met  in  any  similar  pro 
duction."—  American  Artisan. 


New  and  Elegant  Juvenile  Books. 

LES  OF  SSiiMBR  DAYS  AND  WINTER  NIGHTS. 


T 

A  GRANDMOTHER'S  RECOLLECTIONS.  By  Ella  Eodman,  with  six  tinted 
Illustrations.  1  vol.  ICmo.  cloth. 

"  This  is  a  simple  narrative  of  household  reminiscences,  more  pleasing  than  many  a 
book  of  for  greater  pretensions."—  Courier  and  Enquirer. 

"  This  book  is  filled  with  entertaining  and  instructive  matters."—  Ohron.  and  Atlas. 

"  It  tends  to  throw  a  mild  and  attractive  light  over  home,  and  to  minister  to  those 
gentler  feelings,  which  find  their  best  soil  in  the  quiet  and  purity  of  the  sanctuary  of  child 
hood."  —  Weekly  Sun. 

"  The  style  of  the  book  is  simple,  lively,  and  attractive  ;  it  must  become  one  of  the 
favorites  of  the  day,  especially  among  young  readers."—  Southern  Literary  Gazette. 

DRAGGADOCIO,  A  book  for  Boys  and  Girls.  By  Mrs.  L.  C.  Tuthill—  with  six 
tinted  illustrations.  1  vol.,  16mo.  cloth. 

GULLIVER  JOI  ;  his  Three  Voyages,  being  an  Account  of  his  Marvellous  Adventure 
in  Kailoo,  Ilydrogenia,  and  Ejario.  By  Elbert  Perce.  1  voL,  16mo.  with  six  tinted 
Illustrations,  cloth. 

THE  YOUNG  EMIGRANTS—  Madelaine  Tube—  the  Crystal  Palace—  in  1  voL  IGmo, 

with  Illustrations,  cloth. 


UNCLE  FRANK'S  HOME  STORIES. 

A  beautiful  Series  of  Juveniles — entirely  new.  By  F.  C.  Woodworth,  in  6  vols.  uniform 
style,  with  eight  tinted  engravings  in  each  volume. 

1.  A  BUDGET  OF  WILLOW  LANE  STOEIES. 

2.  A  PEEP  AT  OUR  NEIGHBOES. 

3.  THE  MILLEE  OF  OUE  VILLAGE,  AND  SOME  OF  HIS  TOLLS. 

L    THE  STEAWBEEEY  GIEL,  OE  HOW  TO  EISE  IN  THE  WOELD. 
5.    THE  BOY'S  AND  GIEL'S  COUNTEY  BOOK. 
«.    THE  LITTLE  MISCHIEF-MAKEE. 

This  Series,  by  one  of  the  most  popular  writers  in  America,  in  the  department  of  Juvenile 
Literature,  is  confidently  recommended  by  the  Publisher,  as  unequalled  in  respect  to  it» 
mechanical  beauty  and  literary  interest,  by  any  similar  publication. 


LECTURES  ON  ART— AND  POEMS.  By  WASHINGTON  ALLSTON.  Edited  by 
Bichard  Henry  Dana,  Jr.  Contents — Lectures  on  Art,  pages  3-1 6T— Aphorisms,  sen 
tences  written  by  Mr.  Allston  on  the  walls  of  his  Studio,  pages  167-179 — The  Hypo 
chondriac,  pages  179-199 — Poems,  pages  199-317.  1  vol.  12mo.  Price,  $1  25. 

"There  is  a  store  of  intellectual  wealth  in  this  handsome  volume.  It  is  a  book  of 
thought.  Its  contents  are  the  rich  and  tasteful  productions  of  the  scholar  and  artist,  who 
had  mind  to  perceive  and  skill  to  portray  much  that  is  unseen  by  ordinary  minds,  as  well 
as  intelligence  and  power  to  exhibit  whatever  is  grand  and  beautiful  both  in  the  physical 
and  mwal  world.'' — Christian  Observer. 

"These  are  the  records  of  one  of  the  purest  spirits  and  most  exalted  geniuses  of  which 
this  country  can  boast.  The  intense  love  of  the  beautiful,  the  purity,  grace  and  gentleness 
which  made  him  incomparably  the  finest  artist  of  the  age,  lend  their  charm  and  their 
power  to  these  productions  of  his  pen.  *  *  *  There  are  in  his  poems  feeling,  delicacy, 
taste,  and  the  keenest  sense  of  harmony  which  render  them  faultless." — If.  Y.  Evangelist. 

"  As  a  writer  we  know  of  no  one  who  in  his  writings  has  exhibited  such  an  appreciation 
of  what  constitutes  beauty  in  art,  correctness  in  form,  or  the  true  principles  of  composi 
tion." — Providence  Journal. 

"  We  commend  them  to  the  intellectual  and  the  thoughtful,  for  we  know  that  no  one 
ran  read  them  without  being  wiser,  and  w«  believe  the  better." — Albany  State  Register. 

"  The  production  of  a  most  ethereal  spirit  instinctively  awake  to  all  the  harmonies  of 
creation." — Albany  Argus. 

"  The  exquisitely  pure  and  lofty  character  of  the  author  of  these  lectures  and  poetic 
fragments  is  well  expressed  in  them.  It  gave  their  structure  a  freshness  and  calmness, 
and  their  tone  a  purity  that  remain  to  charm  us,  and  that  are  equally  admirable  and  de 
lightful."—  The  Independent. 

"  His  lectures  possess  great  attractions  for  every  one  aiming  at  cultivation  of  mind  and 
Refinement  of  taste,  while  his  poems,  which  elicited  so  high  praise  when  published  singly, 
are  sure  to  receive  it  when  as  now  embodied  in  a  more  classic  form." — Natchez  Courier. 

"  The  lovers  of  American  literature  and  art  will  rejoice  in  the  possession  of  these  ma 
tured  fruits  of  the  genius  which  seemed  alike  skilled  in  the  use  of  the  pen  and  pencil."— 
Newark,  Daily  Advertiser. 

POEMS  AND  PROSE  WRITINGS.    By  KICHARD  HENRY  DANA.    2  vols.  12mo. 

Price,  $2  50. 

"  Mr.  Dana's  writings  are  addressed  to  readers  of  thought,  sensibility  and  experience. 
By  tenderness,  by  force,  in  parity,  the  poet  paints  the  world,  treading  in  safety  the  dizziest 
verge  of  passion,  through  all  things,  honorable  to  all  men ;  the  just  style  resolving  all  per 
plexities,  a  rich  instruction  and  solace  in  these  volumes  to  the  young  and  old  who  are  to 
come  hereafter." — Literary  World. 

"  Mr.  Dana  is  evidently  a  close  observer  of  nature,  and  therefore  his  thoughts  are  origi 
nal  and  fresh."—  True  Democrat. 

"  In  addition  to  the  Poems  and  Prose  Writings  included  in  the  former  edition  of  his 
works,  they  contain  some  short,  practical  pieces,  and  a  number  of  reviews  and  essays  con 
tributed  to  different  periodicals,  some  of  them  as  much  as  thirty  years  since,  and  now  re- 
published  for  the  first  time— as  the  expression  of  the  inmost  soul,  these  writings  bear  a 
strong  stamp  of  originality." — N.  Y.  Tribune. 


TKE  EPOCH  OF  CREATION.  The  Scripture  Doctrine  Contrasted  with  tne 
Geological  Theory.  By  ELEA.ZER  LORD,  with  an  Introduction  by  Kev.  K.  W.  Dick 
inson,  D.D.  1  vol.  12mo.  Price,  $1  00. 

"  We  have  here  a  work  for  tho  study  of  the  intellectual  man  of  the  world  as  well  as  the 
Christian  man  of  God.  The  subject  is  discussed  with  masterly  ability  and  with  a  force  of 
logic  which  will  impress  conviction  upon  many  doubting  minds." — Troy  Budget. 

"  "We  arc  heartily  glad  to  see  this  book.  We  ask  Christian  scholars  to  read  the  volume, 
thinking  learned  men  will  find  something  here  to  think  of.  It  is  no  child's  book,  it  is  r«t 
a  bigot's  book.  It  is  a  masterly  defence  of  God's  ancient  word  against  modern  theory,  ju.-l 
demands  attention."— N.  Y.  Observer. 


INCIDENTS  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  A  PASTOR.    By  Kev.  WM.  WISNER,  D.D.    1 
vol.  12mo.,  3d  edition.     Price,  $1  00. 

"  The  writer  is  a  shrewd,  sensible,  practical,  and  eminently  experienced  divine,  in  early 
life  a  lawyer,  and  all  his  life  a  thinking,  earnest  man."— W.  Y.  Observer. 

"  It  is  not  a  book  of  controversy,  or  extended  stories ;  it  tells  its  truth  unaffectedly  and 
forcibly,  and  in  so  doing  utters  volumes  of  theology.  A  more  suggestive  work  we  have 
seldom  seen.  Its  solemn  facts  seize  upon  the  conscience  and  heart  with  a  power  that  sur 
passes  all  the  force  of  rhetoric  " — JV.  Y.  Evangelist. 


INDICATIONS    OF    THE    CREATOR;    Or,  the    Natural   Evidences  of  Final 
Causes.    By  GEORGE  TAYLOR.    1  vol.  12mo.    Price,  $1  00. 

"  A  careful  review  of  the  discoveries  in  Astronomy,  Geology,  Comparative  Physiology, 
and  the  other  Practical  Sciences,  for  the  purpose  of  showing  the  natural  evidences  of  the 
existence  of  the  Creator.  He  holds  firmly  to  the  truth  of  Revelation,  and  does  not  seek 
to  make  the  light  of  nature  sufficient  for  human  guidance.  The  work  is  dearly  written, 
and  is  marked  by  great  thoughtfulness  and  candor.1' — N.  Y.  Commercial. 


CHEEVSR'S  NEW  WORL 

THE  LIFE  AND  TRIALS  OF  A  YOUTHFUL  CHRISTIAN  IN  PURSUIT 
CF  HEALTH,  as  developed  in  the  Biography  of  Nathaniel  Cheever,  M.D.  By 
Eev.  HENRY  T.  CHEEVER,  with  an  Introduction  by  Kev.  George  B.  Cheever,  D.D.  1 
vol.  12mo.  Price.  $1  00. 

"Two  brothers  thus  uniting  in  Memorials  of  a  third,  will  present  a  volume  of  great  in 
terest.  We  knew  the  subject  of  the  fraternal  work,  and  loved  him  for  his  gentleness  and 
worth,  which  will  be  fitly  commemorated  in  these  pages." — 2i.  Y.  Observer. 


PRIMITIVE  CHURCH  OFFICES.    From  the  Princeton  Review.    Uniform  with 
Alexander  on  the  Psalms.    1'vol.     Price,  63  cts. 

"  These  essays  are  reprinted  from  tl  e  Princeton  Keview,  with  corrections  and  additions 
by  their  author,  whose  trenchant  pen  will  be  recognized  wherever  he  makes  his  mark." — 
2T.  Y.  Observer. 

"  The  views  they  present  are  sound,  scriptural,  and  discriminating,  and  worthy  of  the 
attention  of  the  Christian  public." — Christian  Observer. 


i&.  MARVEL'S  WORKS. 

THIRTEENTH  EDITION  OF 

REVERIES  OF  A  BACHELOR,  a  Book  of  the  Heart     By  IK.  MARVEL.    1  vol 
12mo.,  with  Illustrations  by  DARLEY. 

The  Illustrated  Edition,  with  Twenty-five  Illustrations,  will  be  ready  about  the  middle 
of  October. 

"  Quotations  give  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  depth  of  feeling,  the  beautifal  and  winning 
frankness,  the  elastic  vigor  of  soul,  and  the  singular  fidelity  of  expression  which  charac 
terize  this  remarable  volume.  Its  quaint  ingenuity  of  arrangement  is  wholly  lost  in 
extracts ;  and  in  order  to  enjoy  the  delicious  adaptation  of  form  to  sentiment  in  which  it 
would  be  hard  to  name  its  equal,  it  must  be  read  as  a  consummate,  artistic,' gem-like 
whole."— JV:  Y.  Tribune. 

"The  dreamy,  shadowy  haze  of  reverie,  its  fleet  transitions,  its  vivid  and  startling  pas 
sages— more  vivid,  oftentimes,  thau  anything  ofvreal  life— are  admirably  reproduced  on 
these  delicate  pages.  The  dense  and  deliberate  style,  though  nowise  itself  dreamy  and 
insubstantial,  dealing  largely  rather  in  the  tough  and  oaken  Saxon,  that  makes  the  strength 
of  our  hardy  tongue,  is  adapted  with  admirable  pliancy  to  the  movement  and  tone  of  the 
fancy.  There  are  passages  in  it — as  those  descriptive  of  early  separations,  schooldays  and 
their  sequel— that  will  start  the  memory,  with  a  quick  throb,  in  many  hearts.  And  there 
are  essential  and  permanent  qualities  exhibited  in  it,  both  of  intellect  and  of  sensibility, 
that  give  noble  promise  of  a  future,  and  that  will  make  the  subsequent  publications  of  the 
author  events  to  be  watched  for."— Independent. 

The  writer  who  can  lure  a  few  of  his  fellow  mortals  away  from  the  bustle,  and 
the  strife,  and  the  fret,  and  the  wear  and  tear  of  a  restless  existence — who  can  plant  them 
in  his  own  quiet  arm-chair,  and  think  a  little  for  them  so  easily  and  so  cosily'  that  they 
shall  fancy  his  thoughts  to  be  their  own  [soliloquies — who  can  carry  them  off  from  the 
engrossing  present,  backward  to  the  fullness  of  youth,  or  forward  to  the  repose  of  age— 
vho  can  peel  off,  here  and  there,  the  worldly  rind  that  grows  ever-thickening  over  the 
heart,  growing  fastest  and  thickest  in  the  hothouses  of  fashion,  and  in  the  rank  soil  of 
wealth — the  writer,  we  say,  who  can  do  this — Mr.  Ik.  Marvel  does  it  in  his  Eeveries — shall 
be  welcomed  to  a  place  in  our  regards,  and  cordially  recommended  to  our  readers'  book 
shelves.1'— Albion. 

"  This  is  a  pleasant  and  clever  book ;  racy,  genial,  lively  and  sparkling.  It  is  a  book  to 
put  one  in  good  humor  with  himself  and  all  the  world." — Southern  Literary  Gasette. 

"  It  is  an  exquisite  production,  the  like  of  which  the  press  has  not  produced  in  this 
country  or  in  England.  Portions  of  it  remind  us  forcibly  of  some  of  the  old,  and  almost 
unknown  French  authors,  whose  sketches  of  thought  and  feeling  we  have  never  seen 
equalled  for  delicacy  and  truth,  until  we  read  these  Eeveries.  The  book  is  especially 
welcome  as  one  of  a  new  class  in  this  country,  which  appeals  to  all  the  finer  feelings  of  the 
heart"— Journal  of  Commerce. 

"  Well  has  the  author  called  it  a  book  of  the  heart  Not  of  a  heart  withered  by  selfish 
ness,  mistaking  disappointment  for  sorrow,  hatred  of  the  world's  joys  for  philosophic  con 
tempt  ;  but  a  generous,  noble  heart,  that  has  sorrowed  as  we  have  sorrowed,  that  can  echo 
back  from  the  distant  hills  of  its  own  experience  our  own  cries— now  of  joy,  now  of  griel 
and  our  songs  of  quiet  happiness."—-^  Y.  Courier  and  Inqmrer. 


"  No  one,  we  predict,  will  ever  lay  down  the  volume  with  that  common  exclamation 
on  his  lips — '  I  can't  get  interested  In  it,'  for  it  grapples  to  the  reader  with  hooks  of  silver, 
which  hold  him  quite  as  fast  as  if  they  were  made  of  steel." — Boston  GizeUe. 

FRESH  GLEANINGS,  or  a  New  Sheai  from  the 01  i  Field ot  Contirental  Europe,  By 
IK.  MARVEL.    1  vol.,  12mo. 

"  This  book  should  be  read  by  all  who  can  appreciate  a  style  fall  of  grace,  in  a  composi 
tion  replete  with  original  and  striking  thoughts." — Boston  Journal. 

"Agreeable,  quaint,  humorous,  philosophical,  pathetic,  charming,  glorious  Ik.  Marvel! 
It  is  as  refreshing  to  the  mind,  wearied  with  the  thrice-told  insipidities  of  continental 
travel  to  dip  into  his  fresh  sparkling  pages,  as  a  plunge,  this  hot  weather,  into  tl?e  cold, 
diamond,  deer-haunted  waters  of  some  mountain  lake.  We  have  turned  over  his  soft, 
thick,  dainty  pages,  and  our  eye  has  glided  along  the  stream  of  his  bright  descriptions, 
pleasant  thoughts,  humorous  expressions,  and  characters  painted  with  a  tew  light  touches, 
like  daguerreotype  portraits — very  Sterne-like  and  exceedingly  fine — until  arriving  at  the 
end  we  are  startled  at  the  rapidity  with  which  the  fctt  of  Time,  flower-muffled,  have  trod 
den." — Albany  Atlas. 

"A  series  of  the  liveliest,  newest,  most  taking  and  most  graphic  sketches  of  out  of  the 
way  scenes,  character  and  incidents,  that  were  ever  done  up  between  a  pair  of  bookbinder's 
covers." — Commercial  Advertiser. 

"  This  is  decidedly  the  most  agreeable  book  of  the  season.  It  reminds  one  by  an  occa 
sional  association  of  ideas,  rather  than  resemblance,  of  imitation  of  Sterne's  Sentimental 
Journey,  and  some  of  Longfellow's  transatlantic  sketches ;  but  its  freshness,  its  variety, 
graphic  descriptive  power,  and  genial  sympathies,  are  all  its  own." — Buffalo  Advertiser.  . 

THE  BATTLE  SUMMER.    Being  Transcripts  from  Personal  Observation  in  Paris 
during  the  year  1843.    By  IK.  MARVEL.    With  Illustrations  by  DAELEY.    1vol.,  12mo 

M  It  is  a  series  of  pictures— sketches  of  scenes  which  passed  under  the  author's  eye.  It 
Is  most  ably  done,  and  shows  the  hand  of  one  gifted  with  genius  and  destined  to  make  his 
mark  on  the  literature  of  his  country."—^".  Y.  Courier  and  Enquirer 

"The  book  is  filled  with  a  series  of  pictures  and  sketches  more  graphic  it  would  be  diffl 
cult  to  find."— New  York  Recorder. 

"Like  a  talented  and  enthusiastic  artist,  he  placed  himself  in  the  best  positions,  and 
caught  the  lineaments  of  each  scene  to  be  transferred  to  his  canvas.  *  *  *  lu  truth,  he 
has  furnished  a  gallery  of  portraits  which  are  very  life  like." — Presbyterian. 

"An  elaborate  history  would  fail  to  convey  so  vivid  «nd  truthful  a  conception  of  the 
rise,  progress  and  manner  of  the  '  second  reign  oi  terror'  as  is  to  be  obtained  from  this  work.' 
— Portland  Transcript, 

"  It  is  by  far  the  most  able  and  most  impressive  accoxint  of  the  scenes  in  Paris,  and 
reveals  a  power  of  description  that  will  give  the  author  a  rame."— N.  Y.  Evangelist. 

THE   LORGNETTE,  or  Studies  o*  the  Town.    By  an  Opera-Goer  (!K.  MAEVEL) 
2  vol.,  I2mo.    Set  off  with  BARLEY'S  Design. 

DREAM  LIFE.     By  IK.  MABVBI,    1  vol.,  12mo. 


RURAL  HOMES;  OR, SKETCHES  OF  HOUSES  suited  to  American  Country  Life. 
"With  over  70  Original  Plans,  Designs,  &c.  By  GERV  ASB  WHEELER.  1  voL  12mo. 
Price,  $1,25. 

It  commences  with  the  first  foot-tread  upon  the  spot  chosen  for  the  house;  details  the 
considerations  that  should  weigh  in  selecting  the  site ;  gives  models  of  buildings  differing 
in  character,  extent,  and  cost ;  shows  how  to  harmonize  the  building  with  the  surrounding 
scenery ;  teaches  how  healthfully  to  warm  and  ventilate ;  assists  in  selecting  furniture  and 
the  innumerable  articles  of  utility  and  ornament  used  in  constructing  and  finishing,  and 
concludes  with  final  practical  directions,  giving  useful  limits  as  to  drawing  up  written  de 
scriptions,  specifications  and  contracts. 

"In  this  neat  and  tasteful  volume,  Mr.  Wheeler  has  condensed  the  results  of  an  accom 
plished  training  in  his  art,  and  the  liberal  professional  practice  of  it 

"  "We  can  confidently  recommend  this  elaborate  production  to  the  attention  of  gentle 
men  who  are  about  building  or  renovating  their  country  houses,  to  professional  architects, 
and  to  all  readers  of  discrimination,  who  wish  to  know  what  is  truly  eloquent  in  this  beau 
tiful  art,  and  to  cultivate  a  taste  worthy  to  cope  with  "judgment  of  wisest  censure." 

"The  cost  of  such  establishments  is  carefully  considered,  no  less  than  the  comforts  they 
should  afford,  the  display  they  can  (honestly)  pretend  to,  and  all  the  adjuncts  that  go  to 
complete  the  ideal  of  a  convenient  and  elegant  mansion." — 2f.  Y.  Mirror. 

"  It  is  extremely  practical,  containing  such  simple  and  comprehensive  directions  for  all 
wishing  at  any  time  to  build,  being  in  fact  the  sum  of  the  author's  study  and  experience  as 
an  architect  for  many  years." — Albany  /Spectator. 

"  Mr.  Wheeler's  remarks  convey  much  practical  and  useful  information,  evince  good 
taste  and  a  proper  appreciation  of  the  beautiful,  and  no  one  should  build  a  rural  house 
without  first  hearing  what  he  has  to  recommend." — Philadelphia  Presbyterian. 

"Important  in  its  subject,  careful  and  ample  in  its  details,  and  charmingly  attractive  in 
its  style.  It  gives  all  the  information  that  would  be  desired  as  to  the  selection  of  sites — 
the  choice  of  appropriate  styles,  the  particulars  of  plans,  materials,  fences,  gateways,  furni 
ture,  warming,  ventilation,  specifications,  contracts,  &c.,  concluding  with  a  chapter  on  the 
intellectual  and  moral  effect  of  rural  architecture." — Hartford  Religious  Herald. 

"A  book  very  much  needed,  for  it  teaches  people  how  to  build  comfortable,  sensible, 
beautiful  country  houses.  Its  conformity  to  common  sense,  as  well  as  to  the  sense  of 
beauty,  cannot  be  too  much  commended." — N.  Y.  Courier  &  Enquirer. 

"No  person  can  read  this  book  without  gaining  much  useful  knowledge,  and  it  will  be  a 
great  aid  to  those  who  intend  to  build  houses  for  their  own  use.  It  is  scientific  without 
being  so  interlarded  with  technical  terms  as  to  confuse  the  reader,  and  contains  all  the  in 
formation  necessary  to  build  a  house  from  the  cellar  to  the  ridge  pole.  It  is  a  parlor  book, 
or  a  book  for  the  workshop,  and  will  be  valuable  in  either  place." — Buffalo  Commercial. 

"This  work  should  be  in  the  hands  of  every  one  who  contemplates  building  for  himself 
a  home.  It  is- filled  with  beautifully  executed  elevations  and  plans  of  country  houses  from 
the  most  unpretending  cottage  to  the  villa.  Its  contents  are  simple  and  comprehensive, 
embracing  every  variety  of  house  usually  needed." — Lowell  Courier. 

"  To  all  who  desire  a  delightful  rural  retreat  of  "  lively  cottagely"  of  getting  a  fair  equiv 
alent  of  comfort  and  tastefulness,  for  a  moderate  outlay,  we  commend  the  Rural  Homes  of 
Mr.  Wheeler."— A7".  Y.  Evening  Post. 


TH2  FRUIT  GARDEN.  SECOND  EDITION.  A  Treatise  intended  to  Ulustrat, 
and  explain  the  Physiology  of  Fruit  Trees,  the  Theory  and  Practice  of  all 
operations  connected  with  the  Propagation,  Transplanting,  Pruning  and  Training  of 
Orchard  and  Garden  Trees,  as  Standards,  Dwarfs,  Pyramids,  Espaliers,  &c.,  the  laying 
out  and  arranging  different  kinds  of  Orchards  and  Gardens,  the  selection  of 
suitable  varieties  for  different  purposes  and  localities,  gathering  and  preserv 
ing  Fruits,  Treatment  of  Disease,  Destruction  of  Insects.  Descriptions  and  Uses 
of  Implements,  &c.,  illustrated  with  upward  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  figures,  represent 
ing  different  parts  of  Trees,  all  Practical  Operations,  Forms  of  Trees,  Designs  for 
Plantations,  Implements,  &c.  By  P.  Barry,  of  the  Mount  Hope  Nurseries,  Rochester, 
New  York.  1  vol.  12mo. 

"  It  is  one  of  the  most  thorough  works  of  the  kind  we  have  ever  seen,  dealing  in  particular 
as  well  as  generalities,  and  imparting  many  valuable  hints  relative  to  soil,  manures,  pruning 
and  transplanting.'1 — Boston  Gazette. 

"A  mass  of  useful  information  is  collected,  which  will  give  the  work  a  value  even  to 
those  who  possess  the  best  works  on  the  cultivation  of  fruit  yet  published." — Evening 
Post. 

"  His  work  is  one  of  the  completest,  and,  as  we  have  every  reason  for  believing,  most 
accurate  to  be  obtained  on  the  subject" — N.  Y.  Evangelist. 

M  A  concise  Manual  of  the  kind  here  presented  has  long  been  wanted,  and  we  will 
venture  to  say  that,  should  this  volume  be  carefully  studied  and  acted  upon  by  our  in 
dustrious  farmers,  the  quantity  of  fruit  in.  the  State  would  be  doubled  in  five  years,  and  the 
quality,  too,  greatly  improved.  Here  may  be  found  advice  suited  to  all  emergencies,  and 
the  gentleman  farmer  may  find  direction  for  the  simplest  matters,  as  well  as  those  which 
trouble  older  heads.  The  book,  we  think,  will  be  found  valuable." — Newark  Dailg 
Advertiser. 

"  It  is  full  of  directions  as  to  the  management  of  trees,  and  buds,  and  fruits,  and  is  a 
valuable  and  pleasant  Book." — Albany  Evening  Journal. 

"  The  work  is  prepared  with  'great  judgment,  and  founded  on  the  practical  experience 
of  the  Author — is  of  far  greater  value  to  the  cultivator  than  most  of  the  popular  compila 
tions  on  the  subject"1— -tf".  Y.  Tnltune. 

This  Book  supplies  a  place  in  fruit  culture,  and  that  is  saying  a  great  deal,  while  we 
have  the  popular  works  of  Downing,  Thomas,  and  Cole.  Mr.  Barry  has  then  a  field  to 
himself  which  he  occupies  with  decided  skill  and  ability.— Prairie  Farmer. 


A  DOMESTIC  HISTORY  OF  THE  REVOLUTION,  by  Mrs.  E.  F   ELLBT.    1 
vol.  12mo.  cloth,  $1  00. 

This  is  a  new  work,  entirely  different  from  the  Women  of  the  Eevolution,  by  the  same 
author.  It  embraces  a  complete  outline  of  the  History  of  the  American  Involution,  but 
illustrates  more  particularly  the  Domestic  History  of  that  eventful  period.  In  this  re- 
epect  it  is  absolutely  an  original  contribution  to  American  History,  and  will  be  found  to 
l>e  interesting  as  a  book  for  general  reading,  suited  for  private  and  public  libraries,  and  as 
»  class  book  for  reading  in  schools. 


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